The first greeting of the Risen Lord – the first greeting of Pope Leo XIV

‘Peace be with you’ were the first words of the Risen Christ to the frightened disciples huddled in a room with doors tightly closed afraid of being arrested, imprisoned and put to death.

The same were the words of our new Pope Leo XIV on the evening of his election on May 9, 2025 as he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time and addressed the huge gathering in the piazza:

“Peace be with all of you. Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for God’s flock. I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your heart, to reach your families, to all people, wherever they are, to all peoples, to the whole earth. Peace with you!

This is the peace of the Risen Christ, an unarmed and disarming peace, humble and persevering. It comes from God, God who loves us unconditionally. We still have in our ears that weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis who blessed Rome!

The Pope who blessed Rome gave his blessing to the whole world, to the entire world, that Easter morning.

Allow me to follow up on that same blessing: God cares for us, God loves all of us, and evil will not prevail! We are all in God’s hands. Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves, let us move forward.

We are disciples of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs His light. Humanity needs Him as the bridge to reach God and His love.

Help us too, then help each other to build bridges – with dialogue, with encounter, uniting all of us to be oner people always in peace. Thank you, Pope Francis!”

What was the Holy Father wanting to convey to the whole Church? The same as what the Risen Christ wanted to convey to his disciples and through them to the Church yet to be born in the Holy Spirit: ‘Do not be afraid of proclaiming the Good News to the whole of creation and being my witnesses to the ends of the earth.’ This is precisely what Pope Francis endeavoured to do all through his twelve-year pontificate – to exhort the Church not to be afraid to proclaim to be witnesses of the joy of the Gospel.

To be witnesses of Christ we need courage of the Holy Spirit

To be witnesses of Christ we need courage which is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, on that very day and in the same conversation, the Risen Lord breathed the Holy Spirit into his disciples, commissioning them to be his messengers of divine love and peace to the whole world. Anointed in the Holy Spirit, they were to proclaim everywhere the forgiveness of God which is the foundation of peace.

This is the precisely the truth the Risen Lord revealed and explained to the two crest-fallen disciples to Emmaus on the day of the resurrection – the truth about evangelization and the driving force of the Church’s mission:

“This it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24: 46-49).

The ‘power from on high’, i.e., the Holy Spirit enables the peace of “God which surpasses all understanding” to “guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4: 7) and to proclaim this peace to the whole world. Christ came into this world with the announcement of peace by the angels, gave us the gift of peace before his death and greeted the world with the gift of peace at his resurrection. Therefore, the primary mission of the Church in the world is to proclaim the peace of Christ to everyone, in every situation and every level; and this is not possible unless and until the peace of Christ rules the heart of each baptized Christian.

In a way the Holy Father, in his very first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s after his election, was confirming the people of God in the power of the Holy Spirit so that they are not afraid to proclaim the Gospel of God’s love and peace in a world torn by hatred, violence and war.

Hatred and violence belong to our human nature wounded by sin; peace belongs to our divinized human nature restored to the image of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. If we truly understand the meaning of baptism, we will also understand the work of the Holy Spirit that makes us new by restoring in us the image of God that we lost by the sin of disobedience of our first parents.

The mystery of our Baptism

St. Basil the Great has a beautiful reflection on the mystery of our Baptism:

“By three immersions and as many invocations the great mystery of Baptism is performed. So the appearance of death is conveyed, and through the handing over of divine knowledge the baptized are enlightened. Therefore if there is any grace in the water it is not because of any power the water may possess but derives from the presence of the Spirit. For baptism is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God from a clear conscience. For this reason the Lord, to prepare us for the risen life, lays before us all the gospel precepts. We must avoid anger, endure evil, be free from the love of pleasure and the love of money. So shall we by our own choice achieve those things which are the natural endowments of the world to come.

Through the Holy Spirit paradise is restored; we can ascend to heaven and gain our sonship. We can address God as Father with confidence, we can share in the grace of Christ, we can be called children of the light and sharers in eternal glory; in a word we can become full of all manner of blessings in this world and in the world to come. We can observe as in a glass the beauty of the goods stored up for us in the future but now anticipated in faith, as though they were already here. If the earnest is such, what must the perfect thing be? If the first fruits are such, what must the consummation be? (Office of Readings, Monday, Week 4 of Eastertide).

If such is the transformation worked in us through baptism we cannot but be reflections of the world to come already here and now as we journey on this earth. In all his letters St. Paul reminds us of the new life in Christ that is ours through Baptism and how it entails putting to death what is earthly in us and putting on what is heavenly. On this earth our lives are hidden “with Christ in God” (Colossians 3: 3), but when Christ appears, we also “will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3: 4).

Humility – the way to peace

The ‘Peace Prayer’ of St Francis of Assisi always sets a mirror before us of the Spirit-filled life we are called to live if we are to be ‘instruments of peace’:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled,

as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen

Recently I read an enchanting and significant episode about the humility of St. Francis of Assisi:

“St. Francis once lived in the place of Porziuncola with Brother Masseo da Marignano, a man of great holiness, discretion and grace in speaking about God, for which St. Francis loved him every much. One day, when St. Francis was returning from the forest and from prayer, as he was coming out of the woods, the same Brother Masseo wanted to prove how humble Francis was and went to meet him, and almost proverbially said: ‘Why after you? Why after you?’ To which St. Francis answered: ‘What is this? What do you mean?’ Brother Masseo said: ‘I say, why does the whole world follow you, and every person seems to desire to see you and hear you and obey you? You are not a handsome man in body, you are not of great learning, you are not noble; why then does the whole world follow you?’ Hearing this, St. Francis, rejoicing in spirit, raising his face to heaven, remained for a long time with his face to heaven, and then returning to himself, he knelt down and gave praise and thanks to God. And then in a spirit of great fervour he turned to Brother Masseo and said: ‘Do you want to know, why me? Do you want to know why the whole world comes after me? This I know that it is because the Lord, who is in heaven, who sees the evil and the good in all places – because, I say, his holy eyes have found among men no one more wicked, more imperfect, or a greater sinner than I.’ “ (Praying Today. The confidence to prevail, by Angelo Comastri. Published by CCBI, Bangalore, 2024, pp. 44-45).

St. Joseph – Patron saint of Workers and Families

St. Joseph is the Patron Saint of Workers and Families and there is a reason for this. He was a humble carpenter whom was mysteriously called by God to offer himself in sacrificial obedience to God’s plan of salvation for humanity. St. Joseph’s courage and sacrifice made this possible. He stood up to the challenge and became the husband of Virgin Mary and the foster father of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

1 May which is celebrated as ‘May Day’ or ‘Workers’ Day’ universally is also dedicated to St. Joseph the Worker in the Catholic Church to remind us of the dignity of labour from a Christian perspective and particularly the salvific value of work which should always point to God’s kingdom.

If we remember well, the lockdown necessitated by Covid-19 five years ago forced people to do their own sweeping, cooking, washing, cleaning, gardening, and a number of chores at home which are usually done by hired employees. The media took delight in highlighting ‘celebrities’ in aprons doing their house cleaning with brooms, mops and dusters in hand. There’s no doubt that, despite the disastrous effects of the lockdown, there were some valuable side benefits for growth in humanity such as, recognizing the dignity of the human person and dignity of labour, realizing the unity of humankind, awareness of the fragility of human life and the constant need for God in our life. As Covid-19 has become a nightmare of the past and the world has moved forward, let us pray that we may not need another pandemic to teach us the essential lessons of life.

The feast of St. Joseph the Worker was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to remind us of the spiritual dimension of our daily work, i.e., the sacredness of human labour and the dignity of the human person in the workplace.

Dignity of Work and Dignity of the Human Person

Work as an expression of the dignity of human beings is a revealed truth laid down in the Book of Genesis where human dignity is essentially linked to human work from creation itself. We are told that, before the creation of man “there was no man to work the ground” (Genesis 2:5). After creating man from the dust of the ground and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life. the Lord God planted a garden in Eden and “took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Man’s first task in the garden is to name the animals: “The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field” (Genesis 2:20). Ater that the Lord God creates the woman as “helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:20) – the wife who is his own rib so that the two could be “one flesh” (Genesis 2: 24), and in that oneness they work the ground and fructify it.

In the earlier account of creation God blesses the man and woman whom he has created in his own image and tells them: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1: 28).

Just as God gives names to Adam and Eve, so Adam names the animals, which are entrusted to his care. In so doing Adam accepts his role as steward of the earth, and asserts his authority over creation. By entrusting creation to man, and giving him the responsibility to ‘subdue’ the earth by exercising ‘dominion’ over it, God affirms the dignity of the human person. God allows human beings to participate in his role as creator. Thus, humans become ‘co-creators’ with God, for they share in God’s eternal creative act through their work of caring for God’s creation, which begins from the mandate to Adam.

Adam, while collaborating with God in caring for the earth, has been given the responsibility of being ‘steward’ of creation. In this way, Adam is ‘distanced’ from the animals because he finds his dignity through work. Out of all creation, only Adam is capable of work, and only Adam is called to work. In the Garden, Adam realizes the importance of his calling, and views his labours as a blessing, for he shares in the creative power of God himself.

After the fall, human labour which was a blessing becomes burdensome to human beings. It becomes a source of toil and pain: ”By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken: for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3: 19).

Sin brought about disharmony in the relationship between Adam and creation. The responsibility of stewardship becomes more difficult and man’s role as provider more challenging. The earth’s elements which were once in perfect harmony with man turn against him bringing natural disasters.

Because human nature is now broken and disordered, man no longer experiences the beauty of his call to work, and experiences the difficulties and stress, whether physical or mental, which his labours bring. In this way, man lives out his days until he returns to the dust from which he came.

Yet, the hardships of work and the ‘sweat of the face’ that accompanies it do not in any way minimize the dignity of labour nor the fact that is a goodthing for man because, through work, man not only transforms nature, adopting it to his needs, but he also achieves fulfilment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes ‘more a human being’. This is the teaching of St. Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Laborem Exercens (1981) on Human Work.

Thus, in the Christian perspective, all work has equal dignity before God and nobody can be considered less a human being because of the work one does. If any such discrimination exists in our society, it is the result of sin and it has to be our collective endeavour to eliminate this sinful state in our society if we truly believe in the truth that all human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. A nation can be called truly developed when all its citizens enjoy equality of dignity and respect, equality of opportunities, and equal access to the resources of the country. The mission Christ has entrusted to the Church is directed towards this goal which is the sum and substance of the Social Teachings of the Church.

Reflections of Pope Francis on St. Joseph

Why is St. Joseph the patron of workers?

Pope Francis gives us the answer in his Apostolic Exhortation Patris Corde in the year 2020, the year dedicated to St. Joseph. It can be summarised in the following points:

· He was a lowly carpenter who earned an honest living to provide for his family.

· From him Jesus learned the value, the dignity and the joy of what it means to eat bread that is the fruit of one’s labour.

· In our day, when employment has once more become a burning social issue, and unemployment at times reaches record levels even in nations that for decades have enjoyed a certain degree of prosperity, there is a renewed need to appreciate the importance of dignified work, of which St. Joseph is an exemplary patron.

· Work is a means of participating in the work of salvation, an opportunity to hasten the coming of the Kingdom, to develop our talents and abilities, and to put them at the service of society and fraternal communion.

· It becomes an opportunity for the fulfilment not only of oneself, but also of that primary cell of society which is the family. A family without work is particularly vulnerable to difficulties, tensions, estrangement and even break-up. How can we speak of human dignity without working to ensure that everyone is able to earn a decent living?

· Working persons, whatever their job may be, are cooperating with God himself, and in some way become creators of the world around us.

· The crisis of out rime, which is economic, social, cultural and spiritual, can serve as a summons for all of us to rediscover the value, the importance and necessity of work for bring about a new “normal” from which no one is excluded.

· St. Joseph’s work reminds us that God himself, in becoming man, did not disdain work.

· The loss of employment that affects so many of our brothers and sisters, and has increased as a result of Covid-19 pandemic, should serve as a summons to review our priorities.

· Let us implore St. Joseph the Worker to help us find ways to express our firm conviction that no young person, no person at all, no family should be without work! ( Patris Corde No. 6).

PRAYERS to St. JOSEPH

For Protection

St. Joseph, guardian of the Holy family, I ask for your protection and guidance in my life. protect me from all harm and evil, amd help me to walk in the path of righteousness,. Keep watch over my family and loved ones, guiding us with your fatherly care. Amen.

For Employment

Dear St. Joseph, patron saint of workers, I humbly ask for your intercession as I seek employment. Guide me in my job search, open doors of opportunity, and provide me with the skills and wisdom needed to excel in my work. Help me to find fulfilment and purpose in my career. Amen.

Rejoice in the Lord always

Fasting, abstinence, prayer and almsgiving are the four pillars of Christian life which find their loud emphasis during the season of Lent but they can never be ruled out of our daily life because they are the backbone of our Christian spirituality and the sure path to holiness of life. In fact ‘cheerfulness in giving’ undergirds all the three pillars – fasting, abstinence and prayer. Without ‘cheerfulness’, none of these acts have any meaning. The mark of a Christian is to be always joyful and cheerful even in the midst of tribulations as exhorted by St. Paul: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4: 4-7). We must aim at this level of joyfulness in our life if we really want to be followers of Jesus one hundred percent. It is difficult, but not impossible as all the martyrs who went to their death joyfully have testified, including our own martyrs of Kandhamal in 2008.

The five ways of repentance

The days of Lent keep our minds focused on ‘repentance’ which signifies an unconditional return to the Gospel and surrender to God’s grace however difficult it may be. The final result in terms of the fruits of the Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:22-24) far outweighs the initial pain of letting go into God’s hands, and this applies very much to almsgiving and the generosity that should undergird it.

St. John Chrysostom (4 ^th century Father of the Church and Patriarch of Constantinople), known for his spiritual writings and eloquent preaching draws a marvellous relationship between prayer, almsgiving and repentance. Almsgiving belongs to the ‘five ways of repentance’ or the five ‘high-roads’ of repentance, all leading to heaven along with many other ways, but these five are the most important and indispensable. These are the five high-roads to repentance: first acknowledgement of one’s sins , second forgiving the sins of others, third prayer from the heart , fourth almsgivingand fifth humility, i.e., modest and humble behaviour.

Christian generosity – chapters 8 & 9 of 2 Corinthians

St. Paul provides a long reflection on Christian generosity through almsgiving in his Second Letter to the Corinthians (chapters 8-9). The context is the ‘fund raising’ he is doing in the Church of Corinth to help the Church in Jerusalem which is poor. The Church of Corinth on the other hand is rich, excelling not only in money but also in “faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness and in our love for you” (Chap 8: 7), therefore they have to excel in generosity also, though Paul has faced opposition to his ministry, unacceptance and divisions in this Church. Apparently the appeal had already been made a year earlier and he is only expecting that that the Corinthian gift to the Church of Jerusalem would be ready on his upcoming visit to Corinth.

He begins his discourse on generosity in Chapter 8 by placing before the troublesome Corinthians the shining example of the Church of Macedonia. What is unique about the Macedonian Church?

The Macedonian Church was extremely poor themselves, yet “their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part” (v. 2). They gave not only according to their means, but beyond their means. They begged of Paul for the privilege to take part in this collection as a mark of their solidarity with another suffering Church, therefore the collection drive is an “act of grace” (v. 6).

The same spirit should be shown by the Corinthians to prove their “earnestness of others” and that their “love is genuine” (v. 8).

Ultimately, what is the source and foundation of Christian generosity?

It is very mystery of Christ himself who “though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (v. 9).

When our generosity is like that of the widow who “out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mark 12: 44) we participate in the paradox that Christ embodies: in order to be truly rich in the eyes of God one has to be poor, i.e., trusting totally in God’s providence.

Timeless insights on and principles of Christian generosity

Some of the timeless insights on and principles of Christian generosity are contained in Chapter 9. St. Paul speaks of the blessings that flow from generosity and the spiritual attitudes that should accompany it. It does not refer merely to financial contributions but to the heart and spirit of giving which is integral to Christian life and community.

Paul begins by expressing his confidence in the readiness of the Corinthian Church to the collection he is making. He is mentions that he has been boasting to the people of Macedonia about their eagerness to help in this project. He highlights an important aspect of solidarity here – the generosity of one Church inspires and spurs other Churches to do the same. This is the impact one good act can have on the other and thus influence the larger Christian community.

However, Paul is also aware of the human frailty whereby we make commitments as an initial impulse and flag in zeal as the days go by; therefore, he is sending the brothers ahead of him to ensure that the gift of the Corinthian Church is ready.

What are some of his immortal insights on generosity?

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (v. 6).

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion” (v.7).

“for God loves a cheerful giver” (v. 7).

This is the core of Paul’s discourse: all giving has to be joyful, free, unconditional, other-centered, rooted in the mystery of Christ and with only one motive, i.e., to build up the Body of Christ. It should not be an afterthought or a grudging obligation but a deliberate act of love and support.

Therefore, the attitude with which one gives is as important as the gift itself. A cheerful giver always reflects a heart aligned with God’s purposes which is nothing else but the advancement of God’s kingdom. As we read in Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. This attitude actually builds up the character of the giver and strengthens one’s communion in the Holy Trinity and within the Church.

There is a beautiful result that follows from generosity: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (v. 8). The true outcome of generosity within the Church is not growth in material security but an outpouring of God’s grace which enables believers to walk the path of righteousness and live a virtuous life that testifies to God’s Kingdom.

At the same time generosity never goes unrewarded. This is the promise of God’s Word. The one who gives freely to the poor will never be deprived of the material needs of life. The one who trusts in God will always experience God’s faithfulness that makes provisions for all our material needs.

Remember the words of our Lord: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mathew 6:33).

The final insights on generosity

The final insights of St. Paul in this regard are very valuable:

-the generous are encouraged to be still more generous in every way

-the service of love is not only to supply the material needs of the recipients but to be filled with thanksgiving to God on the part both of the givers and the receivers

-generosity results in the glorification and praise of God by his Church for the confession of the Gospel of Christ which generous almsgiving stands for

-there is prayer for the benefactors and longing for them which signify the bonds of love and affection between the Churches

-the whole Church thanks and praises God for his surpassing grace whereby giving and receiving become acts of praise and worship.

Almsgiving is not the same as ‘tithes’ or mandated church offering or mere ‘charity’; it is a generous offering in cash and kind freely given for the cause of the poor and needy and other works of the Church.

What characterizes almsgiving from a Christian perspective is its focus on the evangelical principles of human dignity and self-respect that Christ has taught us. It reminds us how God values all people equally and wants to have everyone cared for and loved. He intended no one should go without their needs met. With sin, we became selfish and violent, leading to inequality and suffering; but with the redemption from sin that Christ accomplished for us through his death and resurrection, we have become children of God and heirs of God’s Kingdom.

Through almsgiving we honour the image of God in each person recognizing his/her value in the eyes of God. We proclaim the truth that every person matters to God. We live out God’s mercy and compassion and tangibly proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Finally let us remember that in almsgiving our left hand should not know what our right is doing “so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mathew 6:3-4).

Come back to me with all your heart

Every moment of our life is a moment of grace but God in his mercy grants to us a special time of grace called ‘Lent’ which affords us an opportunity to examine our lives in the light of the Gospel and RETURN to the path of true discipleship which leads to salvation and fullness of life. We should never take lightly the words addressed to us on Ash Wednesday: ‘Repent and believe in the Gospel’. These words go back to the call given first by John the Baptist and later by Jesus himself at the beginning of their ministries: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mathew 3:2 and 4:12). Repentance denotes a round-about-turn encompassing all the areas of our life; and Lent is the time to place all these areas before God for a complete inner healing.

As the Fathers of the Church emphasize, God is an unquenchable fountain of love and mercy to which we need to return again and again for renewal and freshness because the power of sin is so strong that it can easily and imperceptibly take us away from the path of righteousness and truth and land us on a path of self-destruction for which our consciences will give us the ‘warning signs’ unless we have completed ‘deadened’ our consciences. Those warning signs are the voice of God calling us to repentance and new life in the Spirit. Therefore, the Holy Bible tells us, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work” (Psalm 95:7-9); “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion”(Hebrews 3:15).

The words which Our Lord spoke to the Samaritan woman he speaks to us all the time and still more during Lent: “but whoever drinks the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4: 14). Again, in his discourse on the ‘bread of life’: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6: 35-36); “This is the bread that comes down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6: 50-51).

Like the prodigal son who said, “I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15: 18-19), we have to rise up and, without wasting a moment, run to the embrace of our Heavenly Father who waits for our return.

In his infinite goodness our Heavenly Father accepts us as we are despite the filth of our sin and shame. This is so beautifully expressed in the hymn we love to sing during Lent based on the Book of Prophet Hosea:

Come back to me with all your heart

don’t let fear keep us apart

Trees do bend, tho’ straight and tall;

so must we to others’ call.

Long have I waited for your coming

home to me and living deeply our new life.

The wilderness will lead you

to your heart where I will speak.

Integrity and justice

with tenderness you shall know.

Long have I waited for your coming

home tome and living deeply our new life.

You shall sleep secure with peace;

faithfulness will be your joy.

Long have I waited for your coming

home to me and living deeply our new life.

The story of the Prodigal Son (or Prodigal Father).

God’s children first, sinners later

The Gospel proclaims the great truth which only Jesus, the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father has revealed to us -that we are God’s children, his daughters and sons first, and sinners later. This great truth is contained in Jesus’ exclamation: “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Luke 10:22); and of course, the parable of the Prodigal Son (or the Prodigal Father) (cf. Luke 15: 11-24) is more than an illustration that we are God’s sons and daughters first, and sinners later! This is the privilege arising from our new birth in Christ from the sacrament of Baptism: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come” (2Corinthians 5:17). Those baptized into Christ can confidently apply to themselves, at all times, the words: “Now the law came to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5: 20-21).

In another place St. Paul summarises so well the status of the baptized as ‘heirs with Christ’: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father! The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:13-17).

To be fellow heirs with Christ means to be fully partakers of the life of the Holy Trinity and this is precisely what Jesus has promised us: “If any one loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14: 23).

Where sin abounded grace superabounded

St. Bernard of Clairvaux in one of his sermons on the Song of Songs places before us this profound reflection on St Paul’s words, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”. I would like to quote some of his thoughts:

“Where is a safe stronghold for the weak to find rest, if not in the wounds of the Saviour? There, safety is measured by his power to save. The world rages, the body weighs me down, the devil sets his snares, but I do not fall for I am founded on the solid rock. I have sinned grievously, my conscience will be troubled but not in despair for I will recall the wounds of the Lord. For indeed, ‘he was wounded for our transgressions’. What sin so deadly that cannot be absolved by the death of Christ? If then I call to mind such a powerful and efficacious remedy I can no longer be terrified by any disease no matter how virulent.

The mercy of the Lord is, then, my merit. I am never bereft of merit as long as he is not bereft of mercy. For if the mercies of the Lord are many, then many are my merits. But what if I am aware of my many sins? Then, where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. And if the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting, then I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever. And what of my own righteousness? ‘Lord, I shall be mindful only of your righteousness.’ For your righteousness is also mine since you have been made my righteousness by God”. [cf. Office of Readings, Wednesday, Week 3 of the Year].

In the words of St. Augustine, our heart yearns for God and it is restless until it rests in Him. What truly is our yearning? ‘To be like Him and to see Him as He is’. This is the holy desire of every Christian, but for the present we cannot see him, therefore “let your efforts consist in desire” and the desire “gives you the capacity, so that when it does happen that you see, you may be fulfilled.” Therefore, like St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians, we must stretch wide our heart and make it big enough to receive what is to come. St. Paul says: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made it his own...But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 12-13).

The essence of our Christian life is nothing else but to be exercised by holy desire, and we are exercised by holy desire only in so far as we have cut off our longings from the love of the world. In other words, we have to empty out the bad in order to be filled with the good: “Consider that God wants to fill you with honey, but if you are already full of vinegar where will you put the honey? What was in the vessel must be emptied out; the vessel itself must be washed out and made clean and scoured, hard work though it may be, so that it be made fit for something else, whatever it may be”. That ‘something else’ is in fact ‘God’: “And when we say ‘God’ ... That one syllable contains all that we hope for. Whatever is in our power to say is less than he, let us stretch ourselves out towards him so that when he comes he may fill us.. ‘We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is’”. [cf. Office of Readings, Friday, Week 6 of the Year].

May this Lenten Season be a time of grace for us because from the fullness of our Saviour ‘we have all received grace upon grace” (John 1: 16).

Call of the Gospel: to be born again

Our Lord began his ministry by asking for ‘repentance’ which in its original meaning of metanoiastands for complete transformation or a round about turn. In the New Testament conversion of heart and entry into God’s kingdom is described in terms of ‘newness’ which is also ’rebirth’ in the Holy Spirit. Ultimately it marks the entry into Christ’s economy of salvation and the eternal life in him which is God’s greatest gift to humanity. In his conversation with Nicodemus, our Lord clearly tells him that he has to be ‘born again’ of the Spirit in order to see the kingdom of God (cf. John 3: 1-8). In fact, to be born again is the essence of discipleship and the fundamental call and challenge of the Gospel. The poor and the simple people who found in Jesus their Messiah and Liberator gladly accepted the call of the Gospel and followed Jesus spontaneously, for he gave them affirmation of their human dignity as children of God and the confirmation of their hope in God’s kingdom. They saw in him the fulfilment of the messianic prophecies. On the other hand, the rich and the powerful rejected him and opposed him at every step of the way. They questioned his works of healing, forgiving, of giving meaning and hope to people in distress, of breaking the chains of oppression, of proclaiming the justice of God, in short his entire ‘new’ teaching which, in reality, was not a destruction of the Law but is fulfilment in love. They staunchly refused to be renewed in the Spirit, to be touched by grace, to open their eyes to the truth of the Covenant, to accept God’s invitation to be transformed in their minds and hearts.

But the call of the Gospel is unchangeable:

“unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mathew 5: 20)

“if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mathew 16:24)

“unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mathew 18:3)

“it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Mathew 19:24)

“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14: 33)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24)

“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25).

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 34-35).

Not ‘good’ people but ‘better’ people

The Gospel therefore is not asking of us to be ‘good’ people or ‘better’ people, but NEW people. This is what St. Paul is referring to when he mentions ‘renewal of the mind’: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). In another letter he speaks of the Christian identity as the ‘new creation’: “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed; behold the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In fact, our surrender to Christ is to put on the ‘new self’: “you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9-10).

In the Book of Revelation we read: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21: 1-2). And the final words that bring to a culmination the whole of salvation history: “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21: 5).

To be ‘new person’ means to be empowered by the Holy Spirit

In truth, to be a new person in Christ is to be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit who leads us into a radical conversion of life, and this happens through prayer. Prayer is primarily contemplation, a journey within whereby we are enabled to look at ourselves from the light of the Holy Spirit and be both confronted as well refreshed, comforted and healed by the Paraclete, our Advocate and our Comforter. The Holy Spirit gives us the wisdom to solve all our problems and the strength to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus joyfully. What is important is to surrender to the control of the Holy Spirit and pray to him to help us to make Jesus the centre of our life.

The Holy Spirit bestows on us gifts or charisms (cf. 1 Corinthians 12: 4ff) and enables us to bear fruits of the Spirit in our daily life (cf. Galatians 5:22ff). These gifts and fruits are meant for the building up of the Body of Christ through living holy lives of communion in the Holy Trinity and proclaiming the Gospel of salvation in Christ.

Through the fruits of the Holy Spirit, we become mature Christians who live already here and now the life of the world to come. Christian maturity and holiness depend directly on the growth of the fruits, especially love or charity. In fact, without the practice of charity, the gifts of the Spirit would be no avail (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3). This is what we learn from St. Teresa of the Child Jesus (Little Flower) when testifies in her autobiography: “

To be ‘love’ in the heart of the Church: testimony of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus

I was still being tormented by this question of unfulfilled longings for martyrdom and it was a distraction in my prayer, when I decided to consult Saint Paul’s epistles in the hope of getting an answer. It was the twelfth and thirteenth chapters of First Corinthians that claimed my attention. The first of these told me that we can’t all of us be apostles, all of us be prophets, all of us doctors, and so on; the Church is composed of members which differ in their use; the eye is one thing and the hand is another. It was clear enough answer, but it didn’t satisfy my aspirations, didn’t set my heart at rest. Reading on to the end of the chapter, I met this comforting phrase: ‘Prize the best gifts of heaven. Meanwhile, I can show you a way which is better than any other.’

What was it? The apostle goes on to explain that all the gifts of heaven, even the most perfect of them; without love, are absolutely nothing; charity is the best way of all, because it leads straight to God. Now I was at peace; when Saint Paul was talking about the different members of the mystical body I couldn’t recognize myself in any of them; or rather I could recognize myself in all of them. But charity – that was the key to my vocation. If the Church was a body composed of different members, it couldn’t lack the noblest of all; it must have a heart, and a heart burning with love. And I realized that this love was the true motive force which enabled the other members to act; if it ceased to function the apostles would forget to preach the gospel, the martyrs would refuse to shed their blood. Love, in fact, is the vocation which includes all others; it’s a universe of its own, comprising all time and space – it’s eternal. Beside myself with joy, I cried out: ‘Jesus, my love! I’ve found my vocation, and my vocation is love.’ I had discovered where it is that I belong in the Church, the niche God has appointed for me. To be nothing else than love, deep down in the heart of Mother Church; that’s to be everything at once – my dream wasn’t a dream after all. [cf. Office of Readings, October 1, Feast of Teresa of the Child Jesus].

One can be advanced in age, highly charismatic, abundantly gifted, but quite immature as far as the fruits of the Spirit are concerned because one has not cultivated them and not earnestly asked for them from the Holy Spirit. This we notice in the charismatic movement and many other movements in the Church; also, among the clergy and those in consecrated life.

The Holy Spirit transforms our activities and relationships

The evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit has to be written all over our life. Our life is made up of activities and relationships and the Holy Spirit comes to transform both. We will grow and mature by developing the right relationships and by doing the right things under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Our relations with God have to be renewed so that we will think, feel, speak and act as true children of God (cf. Galatians 4:6), and this the Holy Spirit teaches us – but we have to ask the Holy Spirit for that gift. The two precious gifts of the Holy Spirit are: wisdom i.e., to have a real taste for the things of God and for eternal realities, and discernment which shows the way we are to follow moment by moment according to God’s plan.

Attitude to self is also a gift of the Holy Spirit, i.e., to see, to accept and to love ourselves as God sees, accepts and loves us; also, to forgive ourselves when God forgives us, so as to live at peace with ourselves and with others.

We have to pray to the Holy Spirit for the gift of loyalty to our state in life . Whether as a child or youth at home, as a married person, or single for the Lord, as a religious or a priest, we have to ask for the grace to be ever loyal and joyful in our family or community and a source of joy to the other members; for the grace to be understanding, patient, helpful and ever ready to cooperate towards the common good.

Another important attitude is our role in the Church. Spirit-filled Christians cannot rest satisfied with Sunday Mass, and remaining at the margin of parish life; they need to work like leaven (cf. Mathew 13:33), and bring new life into old structures.

Equally important is our role in society. When we pray for the infilling of the Holy Spirit we to ask for the special gifts we need to be more effective and useful in our present life situation: in school, college, office, place of work, neighbourhood. The Spirit will give us a new sense of responsibility to work selflessly for the society and for our country with courage and hope.

Thus, the Holy Spirit will enable us to set our scale of values and priorities right.

[For the above thoughts I am indebted to the book Here Comes Jesus by Marcelino Iragui, OCD, chapter 9, ‘Seek All-Round Renewal’].

WALK IN LOVE AS CHRIST LOVED US (Ephesians 5:2)

To make our life grace-filled

As we enter another year – 2025 – it’s but natural that we look forward in hope that the year may bring us prosperity, fulfilment of dreams and achievement of goals; yet we don’t know how the year will unfold for us day by day, week by week and month by month.

For a disciple of Christ, the attitude that best characterises our Christian faith is to entrust the year into the hands of God with a filial trust like that of our Blessed Mother who, along with he Blessed spouse Joseph, said ‘yes’ to God’s will without any far-sighted planning. She sanctified every moment of her life with her ‘yes’ in such manner that every moment became ‘grace-filled’ for her.

How can we can make our life grace-filled? The exhortations of St. Paul in his letters are a great eye opener for us in this direction.

I would like to refer to his exhortation to the Ephesians: “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5: 2). Can we take this exhortation seriously if we really wish to make our life a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God and our year beautiful and pleasing to God?

When he says, ‘walk in love as Christ loved us’ what does he mean? He means that we have to put into practice the commandment Christ gave us at the Last Supper when he washed the disciples’ feet: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 34).

Abou Ben Adhem

We all love from our childhood that beautiful poem Abou Ben Adhem which beautifully summarises the evangelical truth proclaimed by Christ – that true love of God is contained and fulfilled in the love of our neighbour:

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight in his room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

An angel writing in a book of old: --

Exceeding pace had made Ben Adhem bold,

And to the presence in the room he said,

“What writest thou?” – The vision raised its head,

And with a look made of all sweet accord,

Answered, “The names of those who love the Lord.”

“And is mine one?” said Abou. “Nay, not so.”

Replied the angel. Abou spoke mor low,

But cheerly still; and said, “I pray thee, then,

Write me as one that loves his fellow men.”

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night

It came again with great wakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blest,

And lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest.

Indeed, we don’t have to search anywhere for the path to salvation than what Christ has proclaimed to us in the Gospel and set forth in the two parables of the ‘Good Samaritan’ (Luke 10: 25-37) and the ‘Final Judgement’ (Mathew 25: 31-46).

This is the only way we can make our life meaningful at every moment and experience that joy and peace which Christ came into this world to give to us and which is his parting gift when he said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14: 27); “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15: 11).

The daily challenge of love

Every day, rather every moment, the challenge of love is before us as St. Paul describes it in his letter to the Corinthians 13: 4-7:

- to be patient and kind

- not to envy or boast

- not to be arrogant or rude

- not to insist on our own way

- not to be irritable or resentful

- not to rejoice at wrongdoing but to rejoice with the truth

- to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things.

What a bold assertion he makes, that miracles of faith, gift of tongues, prophetic powers and unbounded knowledge and understanding of God’s mysteries are all a “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” if we have no love! In eternity, faith and hope will cease to exist but only love will remain because God is love.

In our daily life, we cannot rule out misunderstandings, moments of irritation, angry exchanges, loss of love and broken relationships; but we must remember that these negativities spring from the devil who tempts us to sin by giving in to our broken human nature. St. Paul admonishes us: “Be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4: 26). If we retire for the night with anger in our hearts, we are grieving the Holy Spirit by whom we “were sealed for the day of redemption.” We are giving opportunity to the devil and jeopardising our salvation.

Therefore, to sanctify every moment of our life, this is the advice to us:

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4: 31-32).

Do we want the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts? Then we have to put off the ‘old self’ – anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, dishonesty, and the like and put on the ‘new self’ – compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love which binds everything together in perfect harmony (cf. Colossians 3: 12-17).

Walking in the Spirit as Jesus did

What does ‘walking in love’ actually mean? It means ‘walking in the Spirit’ as Jesus did.

Our Risen Lord has poured his Spirit into our hearts so that we too can live Spirit-filled lives as he lived. His spiritual warfare against the devil took place in the power of the Spirit. This is manifest during his fasting and prayer in the desert for forty days and forty nights before beginning his public ministry. He defeated the devil in the very first encounter but the devil “departed from him until an opportune time” (Luke 4: 13). This goes to show that the devil never accepts defeat; he looks for thousand ways to cpature his prey in his snares, and weak as we are, we fail and fall, but NOT Jesus. He stood strong against the wiles of the devil until his last breath on the cross, until he could forgive his enemies and surrender his soul into the hands of his Father having accomplished his mission.

Every step in the life of Jesus was guided by the Holy Spirit in perfect agreement with the Father’s will. This is what we call ‘discernment’. For Jesus, it was a way of life, not an isolated exercise. He walked in the Spirit; therefore, he walked in love. This path of discernment led him to the cross, which was the only way to defeat sin, the devil and death; but the Father raised him up on the third day to be seated at his right hand in power and glory and to be our Eternal High Priest who intercedes for us before the Father.

The Nicene Creed

In the year 2025 we will be celebrating the 1700 ^th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (now called Iznik in Turkey) which took place in 325 A.D. and which gave to the Universal Church the Nicene Creed which we recite on Sundays and Solemnities.

The Council of Nicaea was necessitated by the ‘Arian Heresy” which denied the ‘consubstantiality’ of Jesus Christ with the Father. Hence, through the recitation of the Creed, the whole Church affirms her faith that Christ our Lord is the Eternal Son of God, eternally begotten, not made and consubstantial with the Father. Through this affirmation, we proclaim that the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is not just a good ‘teaching’ however profound, but the unique path to salvation which cannot fail us. We commit our life to him as our way, our truth and our life.

If we make the Creed (whether Nicene or Apostles’) an indispensable part of our daily prayer life, we shall always walk in the Spirit and invariably walk in love.

Stories of Hope

We all know the role hope plays in our life and especially when we are in difficult situations and the outcome is unknown – we can only ‘believe’ that whatever is going to happen will be favourable to us. Therefore, prayer and trust in God are so indispensable to our Christian life if we are personally related to Christ in whose death and resurrection we participate.

Recently I heard a very moving story of invincible hope born out of love that happened during the massive earthquake that devastated the northern region of Armenia in 1988 killing nearly 30,000 people. In that earthquake an elementary school with several hundred children in it came crashing down burying the children beneath the rubble. Rescue operations began almost immediately after the earthquake struck. Some children were brought out of the rubble alive, but most of the children were found dead under the stones.

However, one father of a boy – Arman was the boy’s name - hoped beyond doubt that his little son was alive under the ruins. He loved his son so much that he couldn’t believe that his son was dead. He had often told him as he left school every morning, “son, God will take care of you and I will be there for you any time you need me”. The doting dad raced to the school driven by the promise he had made to his son. He knew the area of his son’s classroom and the spot where his son sat. With unflagging hope in his heart and defying all odds and particularly the official despondency which was shared by many parents, he went on digging with his bare hands, lifting stone after stone shouting, ‘Arman’, ‘Arman’ at the top of his voice; and to his immense joy, after thirty-six hours of mighty efforts, fighting hunger and exhaustion, he heard the son’s voice beneath the rubble, ‘Abba, it’s me’. Arman was alive and along with him thirteen other boys of his class were also alive. Arman was certain that his loving Abba would not allow him to die and that he would leave no stone unturned to rescue him. With this confidence he kept up the hope of his thirteen companions. It was indeed a miracle of faith, hope and love.

If such is the power of human love how infinitely greater is the power of God’s love for us in Christ – love that led Jesus Christ to the cross for our sake because “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

We remember some such miracle that took place in Uttarakhand in November 2023 when a tunnel under construction collapsed trapping all the forty-one labourers inside. They were rescued through a pipe after a 17-day ordeal during which hopes were waxing and waning but the power of prayer and complete trust in God finally prevailed over all human odds. It was indeed a miracle of hope.

We hear of such miracles in different parts of the world and, on a smaller scale, each one of us will be able to testify to such miracles of hope in our own individual lives when we have been rescued from situations of utter ‘hopelessness’ by the miraculous intervention of God.

Hope of Eternal Life

Nevertheless, as we can easily conclude, the above-mentioned testimonies of hope are within the confines of our contingent world.

The word of God speaks to us of another hope: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). This pertains to eternal life which is of much greater value than everything that this world can give us. This is the pearl of great value to gain which we are ready to forgo everything (Mathew 13:45-46) because, in the gift of ‘wisdom’ which the Holy Spirit has bestowed on us, we know what is transient and what is everlasting.

In fact, we may not even receive what we are intensely praying and hoping for as an ‘earthly blessing’, but that suffering itself is definitely God’s way of purifying us and preparing us for eternal life, to receive that “treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Mathew 6:20), and indeed our heart has to be on this treasure.

To hope for eternal life and the coming of God’s Kingdom in its fulness is the identity of the Church and the essence of her mission. We were saved in this hope and our hope will never disappoint us because “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). This is the mystery of Christ that informs our life from the day of Baptism; therefore St. Paul could exclaim with full confidence: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8: 35-37). Remember these words of our Lord: “I have said all these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

When all kinds of sufferings come our way tempting us to lose courage, be gloomy and despondent and especially when our faith and Christian witness are severely tested, we must enter more deeply into the word of God that never fails us. The word of God is truth and It is our source of strength. It is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119: 105).

Jubilee Year 2025 – We are Pilgrims of Hope

As the calendar year 2024 draws to a close we are going to enter into the Jubilee Year 2025 with its theme, ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. Hope is a theological virtue inextricably related to faith and love, but fulfilled in love as St. Paul affirms, “So now faith, hope and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

If this world alone were all that mattered to life our Lord Jesus Our Lord would never have shunned all the temptations of the devil in the desert; he would never have spoken to us of the kingdom of God and of repentance and self-denial in order to enter this kingdom; he would never have proclaimed eternal life as our true destiny; he would never have placed before us the mystery of the cross which is the path the Son of Man had chosen; he would never have given us the ‘new commandment’ of loving one another just as he has loved us; in short there would not be any need for the Gospel.

As St. Paul says in his letter to the Philippians: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him ... Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it y own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press o toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 7-14).

The beautiful parables of the Kingdom of God which Jesus proclaimed speak of hope as an expectant and patient waiting as well as an arduous working. We have to work for the Kingdom of God to manifest itself in our human society and wait expectantly for its full flowering. This is the sum and substance of the only prayer Christ has taught us, the ‘Our Father’. And Christ himself, who went about teaching, healing every disease and every affliction among the people, forgiving sinners and proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom is our model par excellence. In his death and resurrection, the devil and sin and death itself were defeated and the victory of God’s Kingdom established once and for all. Because of the resurrection we do not doubt that God’s Kingdom will come and with Mary our Blessed Mother we sing the ‘Magnificat’.

The Jubilee Year is a time to renew our lives in the light of the Holy Spirit with utter sincerity with God, with ourselves and with others.

Becoming Signs of Hope

In his ‘Bull of Indiction’ in preparation for the Jubilee Year 2025 (May 09, 2024), the Holy Father Pope Francis presents several tangible ways by which we can be ‘signs of hope’ in our broken world:

1. Desiring and working for peace in the world in the face of the tragedy of war.

2. Reaching out to our brothers and sisters in prison, who are suffering hardships and deprived of their freedom and dignity.

3. Tending to the sick whether at home or in hospital.

4. Caring for the migrants who leave their homeland in search of better life for themselves and for their families.

5. Caring for the elderly who feel lonely and abandoned.

6. Opening our eyes to the plight of the poor, the homeless and the impoverished people who have to suffer hunger and deprivation despite the immense resources of the earth.

7. Demonstrating our special care and concern for the young who are the very embodiment of hope.

There could be many more ways by which we give an account of the hope that is in us, as St. Peter exhorts us:

“Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” (1Peter 3: 13-17).

Veneration of saints- a holy practice

On November 1 we celebrate All Saints’ Day to commemorate and thank God for all who have attained eternal bliss, and among them could well be those dear to us and known to us. Through baptism all are called to live a life of faithful Christian discipleship and attain eternal bliss after our death. The Church however, through the lengthy process of beatification and canonization, officially declares some persons as ‘saints’ whose Christian life has been exemplary and who are models of Christian discipleship. Christian piety (which is a gift of the Holy Spirit) urges us to venerate them and accept them as our intercessors before the throne of God.

The veneration of saints through their ‘relics’, icons, images (statues) is a holy practice in the Catholic Church tracing its origins to the earliest centuries of Christianity when the Christians were a persecuted community in the Roman empire and the ‘martyrdom of blood’ was very common. This spontaneous practice underscored the unbreakable bond between the Church on earth and the Church in heaven highlighting the ‘family’ nature of the Church.

We know that the Book of Exodus expressly forbids the making of idols or representations of God:

“You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20: 3-6).

If such was the explicit teaching of the Holy Bible, why did the early Christians begin to make icons and images (statues) of the martyrs and venerate them as an inseparable part of their Christian faith and devotional practice?

Is veneration of saints idolatry?

There is no other reason than to state that the Christians never saw any contradiction between the practice of veneration of saints and the teaching of the Bible. The Bible is against ‘idolatry’ and the veneration of the saints through their relics, icons and images is not idolatry, but a ‘reminder’ of who they are for us - models of authentic discipleship on the path to eternal life .

It is very obvious that the early Christians in Rome and elsewhere in the Roman empire, through their paintings, statues, art and architecture ‘inculturated’ the Christian faith in the prevailing Graeco-Roman culture and ‘Christianised’ the practices, which means, they took the same customs and practices and gave them a new ‘Christian’ meaning.

Therefore, there is a fundamental difference between what is forbidden in the Old Testament and the practice that grew in the New Testament, because the Church is the New Israel, the Spirit-filled community of the New Covenant sealed in the blood of Christ, the people of God who do not walk by the law of Moses but by the grace and truth of Christ (cf. John 1:17) who is the Way, the Truth and the Life (cf. John 14:6). As the Acts of the Apostles testify, Christianity had become a community both of Jews and Gentiles who believed in the Risen Christ as their Lord and Saviour. The earlier ethnocentrism had given way to as new universalism in Christ, an inclusiveness which is the nature of the Body of the Christ, the Church. Christ is the true Temple (cf. John 2:19) and the true High Priest (cf. Letter to Hebrews). In Christ we have become a ‘new creation’ (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17); everything has been made ‘new’ in Christ (cf. Revelation 21:5).

What is idolatry? Idolatry is the attribution of divine presence and power to a natural or man-made object. That object is treated as ‘god’ and worshipped, more out of fear than real faith which is a personal relationship with the living God.

What is an icon or an image (statue) of a saint for a Christian? It is a ‘reminder’ of that person’s Christian discipleship and holiness of life; of being a faithful witness to Christ unto the shedding of his/her blood for Christ and his truth; of the endurance with courage all the trials and sufferings for the sake of total the fidelity to Christ our Saviour and Lord.

This we see in the life of the ‘martyrs’ who did not compromise their faith for the sake of security on earth but wagered everything for Christ. Hence the early Church immediately considered every martyr a ‘saint’ in heaven who has attained the ‘crown’ of eternal life as the Book of Revelation so powerfully depicts (cf. Revelation 7:9-17). They began to be ‘venerated’ with loving devotion along with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the holy angels.

In a martyr, the Gospel of Christ and conformity to him become a living reality in such a way that in his her/her death the martyr is totally united to Christ the Eternal Word in his glory. The Apostolic Tradition of the Church lays strong emphasis on the whole Church as the Body of Christ becoming the ‘living Word of God’ through praise and worship, unity and witness.

Intercessory power of the saints

The spontaneous piety of the people of God from the beginning has believed in the ‘intercessory’ power of the saints for us before the Holy Trinity. This intercession is of the Risen Christ himself before the Father, not apart from him. He is the author of our salvation and the fountain-head of grace that makes us the children of God. It is he who bestows this ‘eternal crown’ of glory on his faithful disciple by making him/her an intercessor with him in the heavenly realm. There cannot be a greater reward than this given by Christ to his faithful servants.

Later on, in the Church, the concept of ‘martyrdom’ which means ‘witness’ was extended to those who had chosen to imitate more closely the poverty and virginity of Christ in the monastic vocation and those who had manifested in their life an outstanding practice of the Christian virtues for the sake of the Church and human society in a variety of contexts.

All these ‘saints’ are presented to the pilgrim Church as examples to be imitated and intercessors before God for all the blessings we need, both spiritual and material, on our earthly journey until we reach the ‘eternal city’ (cf. Hebrews 13: 14).

Communion of saints

An important aspect of our faith is the ‘communion of saints’ that exists between the Church on earth (militant - against sin), the Church suffering (in purgatory) and the Church victorious (in heaven). We celebrate this mystery of the ‘communion of saints’ in the Holy Eucharist when we commemorate the pilgrim Church on earth, pray for the souls in purgatory and honour and glorify the most glorious Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph her Blessed Spouse, the holy apostles and all the saints. Mary, by her unique calling to be the Mother of God, occupies the place of highest honour among the saints.

It is in perfect accordance with the Gospel to venerate the saints and ask for their intercession. Therefore, chaplets in honour of saints do not take us away from Christ, rather bring us closer to him and his Gospel of salvation.

The icons and statues we make of the saints and even of Jesus Christ Our Lord and the Holy Trinity are not ‘essential’ to our Christian faith. Without all these representations we can still be very fervent Christians who live our life according to God’s Word and for whom the Bible is the absolute norm; but the living ‘memory’ of the saints and living communion with them is indispensable for the building up of the Body of Christ.

We have been prayerfully studying this year the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council in preparation for the Jubilee Year 2025. This document teaches with authority that those who have faithfully followed Christ inspire us with new reason to seek the city which is to come (cf. Hebrew 13:14) and offer us a safe path whereby we will be able to arrive at perfect union with Christ, that is holiness of life, despite the vicissitudes of this world. In the lives of the saints God shows us in a more vivid way his presence and his face. They reflect the image of Christ (cf. 2Corinthians 3:18) in a more perfect way. God speaks to us in this great cloud of witnesses (cf. Hebrews 12:1) and offers us a sign of his kingdom to which we are powerfully attracted because we find in them such a witness to the truth of the Gospel. Our veneration of the saints is not only by way of learning from their example but for the building up of the whole Church in the Spirit (cf. Ephesians 4:1-6) (cf. LG 50).

Abuses of the past and renewal of the Church

Nevertheless, we must remember that there were ‘excesses’ in the veneration of saints in the Middle Ages which degenerated into ‘abuses’. The cult of images and icons seemed to have replaced the redemptive work of Christ due to a general ignorance of the Bible. The widespread cult of saints had bordered on the superstitious and this was promoted by sections of the clergy to help common causes of the Church or even for personal gains. The famous or infamous practice of the ‘sale of indulgences’ belonged to this era whereby forgiveness of sins or God’s grace could be bought for a price eclipsing the need for repentance, penance and a personal faith and trust in a God who justifies us because of his infinite mercy and not because of our ‘works’. It was indeed time of ‘decline’ in the Church, and corrective measures for the comprehensive renewal of the Church were put in place by the Council of Trent (1545-1563).

In the 8 ^th and 9 ^th centuries there was a movement called ‘iconoclasm’ (breaking of icons) in the Eastern Church. It campaigned for the removal of icons from the churches and homes since they were seen as unbiblical; but the movement was firmly condemned through a council and with that the controversy ended.

On account of the rampant ‘abuses’ which had reached their peak in the 16 ^th century, the Protestant Reformation emphasised ‘justification by faith alone and not by works’ (cf. Romans 3:17) as the norm of salvation; hence ‘Bible alone’ became the slogan of Protestant Christianity in the West which is there with us to date, though we have come a long way from the polemics of the 16 ^th century, thanks to the Ecumenical Movement.

The Second Vatican Council asks for all such abuses, excesses and defects to be removed and the authentic cult of saints to be promoted which “does not consist so much in a multiplicity of external acts, but rather in a more intense practice of our love, whereby, for our own greater good and that of the Church, we seek from the saints ‘example in their way of life, fellowship in their communion, and the help of their intercession’”(LG 51).

Angels, from the Greek word angelos, are an inseparable part of the salvation history narrative in the Bible. Though mixed with allusions to the prevailing mythological culture of the time, the existence of angels as spirits created by God to serve as his messengers of salvation to humans has been an unquestionable element of the Bible, first in the Old Testament and then in the New Testament which fulfils the Old. The angels stand for God’s sovereignty and the bond of love between God and humankind. Therefore, ‘angel’ can never have a negative connotation, but always a positive one even when an angel has the mission to execute the wrath, judgement or vengeance of God (Exodus 12: 23; Numbers 21: 6-8; 2 Samuel 24: 16 ff; 2 Kings 22: 19; etc.).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly states that the existence of angels is a ‘truth of faith’ (No. 328).

What is the relationship of Christ to the angels? The Catechism (No. 331) teaches that Christ is the centre of the angelic world. They are his angels (cf. Mathew 25:31). They belong to him because they were created through and for him. (cf. Colossians 1:16). They belong to him still more because he has made them messengers of his saving plan (cf. Hebrews 1:14). From the Incarnation to the Ascension, the life of the Word Incarnate is surrounded by the adoration and service of angels (No. 333).

The whole life of the Church, says the Catechism, benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of the angels (No. 334). From the beginning of our life until death, our life is surrounded by the watchful care and intercession of the angels and, in a particular way, a guardian angel is given to every believer as a protector and shepherd leading him/her to life (No. 336). Therefore, already here on earth, the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels who are always united with God.

On September 29 the Church celebrates every year the feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael. Who are these mighty angels?

Raphael means, ‘God heals’ (Tobith 3:17, 12:15); Gabriel means, ‘Hero of God’ (Daniel 10:13, 21); Michael means, ‘Who is like God?’ (Daniel: 13, 21; 12:1). These are the only three angels whose names are mentioned in the Bible. They are called ‘Archangels’ because of the importance of the roles they played in salvation history.

Raphael is so called because of his healing of Tobias’ blindness in the Book of Tobith. He is associated with God’s healing love and mercy. He is also identified with the angel in John 5:1-4 who descended upon the pool and bestowed healing powers upon the waters so that the first to enter the pool after it moved would be healed of whatever infirmity he/she was suffering.

Gabriel is mentioned four times in the Bible. Most significant are his announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:19) and to Mary of the Incarnation of the Word of God (Luke ). Christian tradition suggests that it was he who appeared to St. Joseph and to the shepherds, and that it was also he who ‘strengthened’ Jesus during his agony in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke ).

Michael is the ‘Prince of Heavenly Host’ and the leader of all the angels. His name refers to the cry of the good angles against Lucifer and his followers when they rebelled against God. He is mentioned four times in the Bible – in Daniel 10 and 12, in the letter of Jude, and in the Book of Revelation (Revelation ).

Michael, whose forces cast down Lucifer and the evil spirits into Hell, is invoked for protection against Satan and all evil. Pope Leo XIII, having had a prophetic vision of the evil that would be inflicted upon the Church and the world in the 20th century. Instituted a prayer asking for St. Michael’s protection to be said at the end of the Mass.

Christian tradition recognises four offices of St. Michael: i) to fight against Satan (ii) to rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death (iii) to be the champion of God’s people (iv) to call away from earth and bring men’s souls to judgement.

We all love the immortal Abba’s song, I Have a Dream where the words touch the heart and open up vistas of immortality:

I Have a Dream, a song to sing

To help me cope, with anything

If you see the wonder, of a fairy tale

You can take the future, even if you fail

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for me

I'll cross the stream, I Have a Dream

I Have a Dream, a fantasy

To help me through, reality

And my destination, makes it worth the while

Pushin' through the darkness, still another mile…

This song is a loud affirmation of the inherent ‘goodness’ in everything that exists on this earth, hence the angelic quality in everything and everyone and the reflection of God in which all share, whether animate or inanimate. When we believe in angels, we believe in what the angels symbolize, that is, the very presence of God within us and in our midst and the intense longing of our hearts to be fully partakers of the eternal bliss in Heaven.

When the Sadducees tried to trap our Lord on the question of resurrection, he replies to them: “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Mathew 22: 29-30).

The belief in angels provides the inner strength to cope up with darkness and failures and keep forging ahead because the final goal gives meaning to our struggles, our sufferings and our pains on this earth. When we think of angels automatically our minds get transported to heaven which is the intense longing of every human heart.

On October 2 we commemorate the Guardian Angels; but in October we also commemorate some eminent saintly personalities who lived ‘angelic’ lives like St. Teresa of Avila (1515 -1582). She was the reformer of the Carmelite Order and through her spiritual works has taught us the way of Christian perfection through contemplation. She says: “What more do we want than to have at our side a friend (Jesus) so loyal that he will never desert us when we are in trouble or in difficulties, as worldly friends do? How blessed is the man who genuinely and sincerely loves him and holds on to him! Consider the case of the glorious apostle, Saint Paul. It seemed that he could do no other than speak about Jesus continually, because he had Jesus engraved and printed upon his heart” (Office of Readings, October 15).

St. Teresa of the Child Jesus (1873-1897), also called the ‘Little Flower’ entered the Carmelite Monastery at Lisieux while still very young and practised the virtues of humility, evangelical simplicity and a firm confidence in God. She offered her life for the salvation of souls and for the spreading of the faith in the missions. She longed to die a martyr’s death in the proclamation of the Gospel like the apostles but found herself too small for such a great task. And in her contemplation she discovered a mystery, the mystery of love at the heart of the Church which was her specific vocation. She says: “And I realized that this love was the true motive force which enabled the other members of the Church to act; if it ceased to function the apostles would forget to preach the gospel, the martyrs would refuse to shed their blood. Love, in fact, is the vocation which includes all others; it’s a universe of its own, comprising all time and space – it’s eternal. Beside myself with joy, I cried out: ‘Jesus, my love! I’ve found my vocation, and my vocation is love.’ ” (Office of Readings, October 1).

On October 2 we also celebrate ‘Gandhi Jayanti’ the birthday of the Father of our Nation who obtained political freedom for our motherland not trough violence and warfare but through non-violent struggle for truth and justice deeply rooted in the spirituality of the Gospel.

The word ‘angel’ evokes in us the most beautiful virtues we would want to see in a person, such as purity of heart, unalloyed love, honest and sincere behaviour, cheerful service, constant attitude of kindness and compassion, quick response to help someone in a hopeless situation, someone who comes to our aid out of nowhere, etc.

All through the history of humanity and of the Church there have been so many ‘angels’ of love, mercy, and kindness in this world who have shown a path different from that of enmity, hatred and division. We cherish their memories and would want to follow in their footsteps; and for so many of us such angelic personalities could have been our own parents, relatives and friends.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), the great Dominican theologian of the Middle Ages who wrote the Summa Theologica was called doctor angelicus (angelic doctor) because of his simplicity of heart and holiness of life. Hence the Dominican-run St. Thomas Pontifical University in Rome is called Angelicum and everyone understands whom it refers to and why so.

As we commemorate the Guardian Angels let us pray that we may all strive to live truly angelic lives reflecting the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

(HAIL O CROSS, OUR ONLY HOPE !)

September 14 is the day we celebrate every year the Feast of the Holy Cross commemorating the victory of Christ over sin, over the devil and over death itself. The feast has deep ecumenical significance as it is celebrated by the Eastern Churches, by the Catholic Church, in Lutheranism, Anglicanism and some Protestant Traditions.

The Cross is the symbol of our hope of eternal life, always pointing to the resurrection. It gives salvific meaning to all the sufferings of our life’s journey, the pain and sorrow that are inevitable in this ‘vale of tears’ but only if we have faith in him as our Lord and Saviour and are ready to die with him so that we can rise with him to fullness of life. The Cross always reminds us of God’s infinite and unconditional love, mercy and forgiveness in Christ and the call to every human being to repent and live the life of God’s children.

When I was very young I remember well a Good Friday sermon where the preacher described the Cross as the symbol of our will (vertical beam) being cut through by God’s will (horizontal beam), and wherein lies the painful sacrifice. Well, that explanation has not become, and will not become, obsolete despite the passing of time. It was real in the life of Jesus, it is real today, if we truly believe in the words of Jesus: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mathew 16: 24-25).

If the devil could have the courage to tempt the Eternal Son of God in the desert with the lure of the world’s wealth, power and pleasures, would he try any less with us? And like our first parents in Paradise millions of people so easily fall for the devil’s false promises, and the result? Ruin of our lives individually and collectively. It is no wonder that the devil is holding such a powerful sway over human hearts and minds and actions in the present time.

When the Lord spoke to his disciples about his impending death, Peter rebuked him saying that he should not even think of such a thing. And Jesus responded to him: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Mathew 16: 22-23). Therefore, it is important to ask ourselves all the time, on what have I set my mind – on things of God or things of man! The former leads to eternal life, the latter to eternal damnation.

There is no other weapon to defeat the devil than the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ which calls us to repentance and total surrender to God’s will in the manner of Christ – the self-emptying that defines the life of Christ.

In his conversion to Christ St. Paul understood the wisdom of the Cross as against the wisdom of the world, and so he could testify with conviction: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1: 18). The Cross is indeed ‘folly’ and a ‘stumbling block’ to those who are not ‘called’, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1Corinthians 1: 24-26). The question each one of us has to ask oneself is this: Is the Cross ‘foolishness’ or a ‘stumbling block’ to me in the way I live and organize my life, especially when the Gospel of Christ places a challenge before me?

So powerful are these words of St. Paul: “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not I plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

Our human ego wounded by sin is so prone to ‘boast’ – of our wealth, our power, our academic qualifications, our achievements, our family background, our superiority over others and the like. In the world we witness the scramble for power, prestige, popularity, positions, and we have also created philosophies that guarantee earthly power as a birth right. We forget the words of Christ:

“But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mathew 19: 30).

Therefore, earthly power is no guarantee of sharing in the eternal glory of the Holy Trinity unless we repent and follow Christ our Saviour in the path of the Cross and Resurrection which is the only way to salvation. Christ does not want us to ‘perish’ but to be saved (cf. John 3: 16), therefore a daily examination of our conscience is necessary to ask ourselves whether we are on the path of salvation or of damnation. This is the holiness of life the Saints have taught us – to reflect whether every thought, word and action flows from the Holy Spirit or from another force is us (cf. 1 John 4:1).

There is no doubt St. Paul also was filled with the pride of his high learning and status as a ‘pharisee’, his knowledge of the Scriptures and Mosaic Law, his consciousness of being of the ‘chosen race’ and his hatred towards the nascent Church – all this until he met the Risen Lord who accorded him a full communion in the Paschal Mystery of hi Death and Resurrection after which there was no going back. So, he could exclaim: “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21) or “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 1: 10-11).

In our reflection on the Cross, I would like to quote verbatim some thoughts from the book Here Comes Jesus by Marcelino Iragui, OCD [Charismatic Renewal Services, Mumbai, 1987], pp 29-32. He says:

There are two types of enemies: a) enemies you are called to forgive and love, such as those human beings who oppose and hurt you; b) enemies you are called to fight. Confusing one type with the other leads to disaster. You might join hands with the enemies you are called to fight, and spend a lifetime fighting those you are called to forgive. That would be the beginning of hell. Jesus is here to save you from hell; to give you victory over the enemies you are called to fight. Who are they?

1. Enemy number one is SATAN with an army of evil spirits or demons under his orders. Satan and his followers are God’s creatures now in revolt against their Maker, and bent on misguiding God’s children. Though already defeated and sentenced to eternal punishment, they are allowed to put men to the test. They come as thieves to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). In their furious war against God’s children they have secured the aid of two allies: the world and the flesh. The world, under the influence of Satan, has a perverted sense of values, and can pervert you (cf. 1 John 2: 15-17). The flesh is human nature “sold as a slave to sin” and dominated by evil passions and desires (cf. Romans 7: 14-25).

2. These three enemies combine their forces to attack and lead you into SIN, which is the most dreadful thing that can happen to you. Sin means rejection of God’s saving plan for you. It is sin that prepares and perpetuates hell. Jesus had to suffer such dreadful torments to overcome the power of sin and expiate for it. There is nothing you should not be ready to suffer to escape as mortal sin.

3. When you are not living a victorious life with Jesus, the enemies can bind you and lead you to ADDICTIONSto sex, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, novels… These things may not be bad in themselves, but when you get addicted to them you are like a prisoner tied up to a post. Satan, bent as ever on destroying the family of man, is making at present great inroads in the field of addictions. As a result the lives of countless young men and women are ruined in the most senseless way.

4. Other enemies that can crush you are your own NEGATIVE FEELINGS like fear, anger, guilt, dejection, when they dominate your life or some area of it. Your feelings can be manipulated by Satan; they can open the door to sin; they can create unbearable tensions making you ill.

5. Physical ILLNESS, weakness and finally DEATH are to be listed as enemies, the result of man’s rebellion against his Maker. In his great mercy and wisdom, however, God uses them for his saving plans. Hence they need not be feared and opposed in the same way as the other enemies.

6. Last, not the least of all, there is a whole array of SOCIAL EVILS , that seem to be growing more powerful with each passing year: injustice, exploitation, casteism, racism, superstition and degrading poverty. Satan is behind many of these evils, fostering greed and cruelty in the rich, anger, hate and despair in the poor. Unless he is detected and bound, there will be no progress in the social field. An expert deceiver, he succeeds often in making people believe that God is responsible for social evils and for any disgrace in life. That is why people are so quick in blaming God when things go wrong. In reality nothing but good comes from God.

Your enemies are many and powerful. Yet that is no cause for alarm. Since the day Jesus died on the cross and rose again, they are defeated enemies. You may have lost many a battle, but the war goes on. If you rally behind Jesus, yours is the final and total victory. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). But for Jesus, the picture of the modern world would be a bleak one.

May the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ be our only hope.

In the midst of the daily depressing news of deaths due to landslides and accidents in this month of July, we heard with a deep sense of relief of the miraculous revival of an elderly 60-year-old male passenger who had collapsed due to heart attack at Terminal 2 of Delhi airport on Wednesday July 17, 2024. A young lady doctor, Priya by name, returning from the Amarnath Yatra along with her doctor husband, jumped to the rescue of this man and administered Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) to the man by pumping his chest with all her strength and with no other medical instrument to aid her, and within five minutes, the man whose heart had stopped beating, came back to life – all because of the timely help given with immense love and a spirit of self-sacrifice to a stranger by this young lady doctor and those with her. In the video, we can see the young doctor checking his pulse and, as he shows signs of regaining consciousness, addressing him repeatedly with the respectful words of Indian culture, “Uncle, are you ok?”

In her interview she describes herself and other doctors with her as ‘God’s agents’. The incident revealed how God is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-provident and who has a plan for us. This opportunity came in her life because her return flight to Jaipur was delayed by two and a half hours; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been there to help this man.

This is the quintessence of spirituality and Our Lord Jesus Christ has taught us exactly this, for instance in the parable of the Good Samaritan (cf. Luke 10:25-37). The true spirituality which gives expression to the ‘divine’ within us and which is supremely pleasing to God beyond all rituals and externals of religion is to jump into action to help anyone in need beyond caste and creed and all other considerations.

We should also never forget the parable of the Final Judgement (Mathew 25: 31-46) with its great lesson for salvation: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”; “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me”.

We must remember always the words of Our Lord: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Mathew 7:21-23). And what is the ‘will of the Father’?

Let us listen to Chiara Lubich in her reflection for July 20, 2024:

“The proclamation of the Gospel will be effective if it is based on a witness of life… It will be effective if we make our love concrete by giving and responding to people in need, feeding and clothing them, housing those who are homeless, offering friendship to those who are alone and desperate, and giving support to those undergoing a time of trial. If we live in this way, the world will see how captivating Jesus is and if we become another Christ, his work, with our contribution , will continue”.

Almost every month of the calendar year we remember Our Blessed Mother, and of all her feasts, certainly the solemnity of her Assumption (August 15) could be assigned the highest place because it sums up her life of discipleship whereby we see her fully partaking in the Resurrection of Christ.

‘Discipleship’ is the beautiful and spiritually rich term that speaks to us of that great mystery in our life of following Jesus and walkingin his footsteps. This has been the core of Christian life from the beginning as the New Testament describes it to us from the calling of the first disciples to their being sent, in the power of the Spirit, to be witnesses of Christ to the world.

All of us are called to be disciples of Christ from the day of our baptism, and we look firstly at Maryas our model followed by Joseph her Blessed Spouse, the Apostles and the Saints.

In the life of Mary our Blessed Mother, discipleship takes on different shades but one that is striking is contained in the first words of her ‘Magnificat’. She praises, thanks and rejoices in God because “he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1: 47-48).

Is this spiritual pride or is it utter humility before God? Undoubtedly the latter is the fact, and therein lies the secret of discipleship.

Our Blessed Mother fully recognizes her ‘lowly’ situation in society, yet she does not refrain from loudly affirming the immense mercy of God towards her in lifting her up to be the channel of graces and blessings for all generations because she is the chosen vehicle to bring the eternal Son of God into this world - Jesus the Saviour of the world.

Years later, at the wedding in Cana, she demonstrates this greatness when, in a behind-the-curtains scene, she saves the young couple from embarrassment on their wedding day (cf. John 2: 1-12). This is true discipleship i.e., a quick response of confidence and courage to a needy situation without caring for one’s status whether lowly or high but using one’s God-given gifts to bring joy and blessedness into other people’s lives without looking for any human applause or recognition. What Our Blessed Mother was to the couple at Cana she is for the whole of humanity today; and she teaches us the same truth – ‘don’t’ say, I don’t have enough; with what you have you can work miracles to build a better world; only selflessness can make you a channel of goodness and love in a world of sadness and gloom.’

All the four Gospels narrate the event of the Feeding of the Five Thousand by our Lord from five loaves and two fish, but in John’s Gospel there is the mention of the boy “with five barley loaves and two fish” (John 6: 9) which Jesus takes and over which he gives thanks to the Father, then distributes the meal to the five thousand who were seated on the grass available there; and the fragments that remained were twelve baskets full! The disciples (Philip and Andrew) were bemoaning their inability to feed such a huge crowd – “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little” (John 6: 7), and the five loaves and two fish, “what are they for so many?” (John 6: 8).

Aren’t these reactions ‘typical’ of us even now in different contexts - at home, in the parish, in institutions, at the diocesan level etc? They belong to our human nature that doesn’t fully trust in God. We always carry doubts in our hearts because we have not surrendered our hearts fully to God and the words of Jesus have not fully made a home in us. However, Jesus tells us another and deeper truth: ‘with the little we have we can work miracles, if we trust in God; never say we don’t have enough’.

Besides this boy who let go of his five loaves and two fish and showed us how generosity without counting the cost can work miracles, we have many other examples:

- of the poor widow who put into the offering box two small copper coins which make a penny, all that she had to live on, and Jesus praised her generosity and her total trust in God as being more pleasing to God than the contributions of the rich “who contributed out of their abundance” (cf. Mark 12: 41-44)

- Peter healing the lame beggar at the gate of the Temple in Jerusalem with the words: “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6)

- the early Church who held everything in common: “there was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4: 34-35).

Dr Madana Kumar, PhD in his thought-provoking book Not So With You, A Servant Leadership Imperative for Christendom Enhancement (SAIACS Press, Bangalore, 2021) reflects on the virtue of simplicity among Christians. He says what causes Christians to stray away from simplicity is ‘discontentment’ (cf. pages 51-52):

“When we focus on what we do not have, we want more. Then we end up accumulating material things… If I ask you to take a few minutes and list out all the things you don’t have enough of, I am sure we all can come up with a decent list of things. The list might contain things like time, money, love, health, energy, etc. If I become more specific and ask you to list out things you don’t have enough of, because of which you are not doing enough ministry, the list might get shorter, and might contain items like talent, skills, knowledge, courage, time, freedom, faith, etc.”

The reason for this attitude is that “all of us worry about what we do not have. When we are asked to do something, the first thing that comes to our mind is what we do not have that might prevent us from doing that task.”

As an antidote to the above attitude, he asks us to reflect on the story of the Widow of Zarephathin 1 Kings 17:8-24. The widow knew what she did not have and she was prepared to have the last meal for herself and her son out of the little she had and then peacefully die. She had nothing to spare for her uninvited guest – Prophet Elijah. But something happened after that. Elijah calmed her fears and asked her to give him the little food nonetheless, which she did; he then gave her this word of promise: that food will not be lacking in her home until the day the Lord sends rain upon the earth; and it happened exactly as he had said. But that was not the end. Soon after that, the widow’s son fell severely ill and “there was no breath left in him”. Elijah cried to the Lord for mercy, placed the child on the bed and stretched himself three times on him pleading with the Lord to send life into him again. The Lord listened to his humble prayer and the boy revived. Elijah then gave him into his mother’s arms saying, “See, your son lives”.

What do we learn from this story?

“The widow was first worried about how little she had, how she did not have enough for herself, let alone share it with the prophet. But, when the widow willingly offers up that little to the Lord, we see the little, small offering of the widow being rewarded multiple times. When the focus changed from what she did not have to what she could do with what she had, it resulted in a great revelation and a great miracle”.

May it be so with us, and we will realize that this is the only way the Kingdom of God takes birth in our hearts and in our world little by little by the power of the Holy Spirit.

With the declaration of the Jubilee Year 2025, our Holy Father Pope Francis has given to the Universal Church a theme to reflect on: ‘PILGRIMS OF HOPE’. This theme is powerfully depicted in the Jubilee logo which is officially explained as follows:

The logo shows four stylized figures, representing all of humanity, coming from the corners of the earth. They embrace each other to indicate the solidarity and fraternity which should unite all peoples. The figure at the front is holding onto the Cross. It is not only the sign of the FAITH which this lead figure embraces, but also of HOPE, which can never be abandoned, because we are always in need of hope, especially in our moments of greatest need. There are the rough waves under the figures symbolizing the fact that life’s pilgrimage does not always go smoothly in calm waters.

Often the circumstances of daily life and events in the wider world require a greater call to hope. That’s why we should pay special attention to the lower part of the Cross which has been elongated and turned into the shape of an anchor which is let down into the waves. The anchor is well known as a symbol of hope. In maritime jargon the ‘anchor of hope’ refers to the reserve anchor used by vessels involved in emergency manoeuvres to stabilize the ship during storms. It is worth noting that the image illustrates the pilgrim’s journey not as an individual undertaking, but rather as something communal, marked by an increasing dynamism leading one ever closer to the Cross. The Cross in the logo is by no means static, but it is also dynamic. It bends down towards humanity, not leaving human beings alone, but stretching out to them to offer the certainty of its presence and the security of hope. At the bottom of the logo is the motto: ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.

The Jubilee Year, also called the Holy Year, has been celebrated from 1300 A.D., when it was instituted by Pope Boniface VIII – in the beginning, every hundred years, then, every fifty years, and, since the pontificate of Pope Paul II (i.e., from 1470 A.D.), every twenty-five years.

With its roots in the Old Testament (cf. Leviticus 25:8-13), the Jubilee Year signifies a time of return to the Lord in repentance and wholehearted surrender to the Covenant which God has established with his people. Therefore, it is a time of re-establishing that proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation which the Covenant stands for. This return to the Covenantal relationship is manifested through the forgiveness of debts, return of misappropriated goods and land, and the giving of rest to the fields by keeping them fallow. In other words, it was a call to return to that justice and righteousness , truth, mercy and love which God has always wanted from his people.

In God’s infinite plan, this call to faithfulness to the Covenant has been fulfilled in the New Covenant sealed in the “precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1: 19). St Peter assures us: “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading , kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the in the last time” (1 Peter 1: 3-5).

Thus, in the Christian perspective, the jubilee calls us to fidelity to the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Besides the ordinary jubilee of every twenty-five years, there have also been extraordinary jubilees in the history of the Church, like for instance the Jubilee of Mercy in 2015 declared by Pope Francis.

Every Jubilee year, whether ordinary or extraordinary, is a call to re-focus our hearts on our redemption in Jesus Christ, whereby we have realized that we are but ‘pilgrims’ on this earth and our true home is the eternal kingdom Christ has won for us. Once we are seized of this truth, our life becomes illuminated by the light of eternity and we no longer live according to the law of the flesh, but according to the law of the Holy Spirit in us (cf. Galatians 5). This is what we call holiness of life, a life of true discipleship of our Lord Jesus Christ, a life witness to his Gospel.

Where are we pilgrimaging to and what are we hoping for as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’?

Our Lord’s entire teaching on the ‘kingdom of heaven’ would suffice to confirm our ‘pilgrim’ status on this earth: “For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14).

Pilgrims are always moving ahead towards a future goal; they travel light and have less baggage to carry; they don’t build permanent abodes for themselves along the way. What gives meaning to their endurance of hardships and discomforts in their journey is their intense desire to reach the goal, which alone matters.

And what are we hoping for as pilgrims?

In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that “ we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16).

From the day of our Baptism there is a hope deeply ingrained in us of being glorified with Christ and, on account of which, we do not consider any suffering we have to undergo for Christ as “worth comparting with the glory about to be revealed” (Romans 8:18). Our journey on this earth is like a ‘bondage’ from which we are longing to be set free not only individually but collectively, i.e., the whole of creation is longing to be set free from its “bondage to decay” and to “obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Roman 8:21).

The Church is founded upon and shaped and moulded in this hope of eternal life in Christ which she proclaims “in season and out of season” (cf. 2Timothy 4) to the whole of humanity so that all might one day share in Christ’s eternal glory.

“For in hope we were saved” (Romans 8:24) is what we firmly cling to; so, we wait in patience to be fully conformed to the image of Christ our Saviour.

The Book of Revelation further concretizes our hope when it sets before our eyes the promise of “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21: 1). In this new heaven and new earth, the “dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4). We proclaim this hope on Easter Vigil when we declare Christ as the Alpha and Omega of the whole of creation, the beginning and the end, the one in whose hands are all times and seasons. We see creation restored to its original goodness and holiness through the death and resurrection of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

In this new creation the Church has an inalienable role to play as the “holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). The entire baptismal liturgy of Easter Vigil is to remind us of the role the Church has to play in making “all things new in Christ” (Revelation 21:5).

The Holy Father Pope Francis wishes and prays that the Jubilee Year 2025 will be a time of grace for all people of God, and also of solidarity and love after the terrible pandemic COVID-19.

As ‘pilgrims of hope’ we must fan the flames of hope in one another, strengthen one another and help everyone to look to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. We have to endeavour to recover a sense of universal fraternity with a special focus on those who are poor and the downtrodden and the refugees. Our pilgrim character and the hope we carry in our hearts also includes the much-needed ecological consciousness and the care of our ‘common home’.

If the Church is to be a sign of unity and instrument of unity and harmonious diversity in the world, she has to first be united in herself as the Body of Christ in its unity and diversity. Therefore, the renewal brought about by Vatican Council II (1962-1965) is of a paramount importance to understand why the Church is a ‘pilgrim of hope’ in this world.

In our Archdiocese of Delhi let us all be united as the synodal Church and participate enthusiastically in all the spiritual moments of the Jubilee Year 2025 in order to be authentic disciples of the Divine Master and witnesses of His Kingdom.

The ‘works’ that Jesus was doing were a clear sign that the almighty power of God was at work in him to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth by defeating the kingdom of Satan. Yet, the enemies of Jesus were so blinded with hatred towards him that they could not even accept the truth of the ‘works’ he was doing - that these came from God. Jesus did everything in the name of his Father but his enemies had their own idea of God and were not ready to repent and be convertedto the Gospel of salvation. Jesus was inviting them to believe in his works and join him in bringing about a transformation in human society, but they were not ready to recognize the summons of grace.

In our Christian life of discipleship ‘works’ hold an inalienable place because Christ our Lord has shown us how faith and works always go together and can never be separated. Our relationship with God has to be manifested through our works. Christ our Lord has told us: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mathew 5: 16).

‘Works of charity’ are very natural to us as human beings and religious persons. Yet, from the Christian perspective, we notice something ‘new’ happening at the very birth of the Church with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit: “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4: 34-35).

The unique gift of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the believers is to remove their selfishness and possessiveness and lead them powerfully to a new way of life, i.e., to hold everything in common, to sell their possessions and belongings and to distribute them to all, as any had need (cf. Acts 2: 44-45).

The outcome of this radical new way of life is so obvious for all to see: there was nobody among them who was needy or poor. The Holy Spirit tells us that the only way we can remove poverty is by redistributing our wealth with those who are needy so that all have an equal share of the goods of this earth. This is not a matter of force but of a firm conviction that comes from the Holy Spirit, a way of experiencing and living the freedom of the children of God and of being citizens of God’s Kingdom as Jesus our Lord has revealed to us in his suffering, death and resurrection. The more selfless we are the greater will be the joy we will experience and less will be the power of the evil one over us.

These two passages from the Acts of the Apostles serve as a template of what our Christian life is called to be, a model to which we have to return again and again, a touchstone for our life and mission.

The call to inner freedom is at the heart of the Gospel: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you. Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you” (Mathew 5: 38-42). True Christian life begins with this generosity that exceeds the law and its limits. Similarly with forgiveness: “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven” (Mathew 18: 22). Then there is the episode of the poor widow who “out of her poverty has put on everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mark 12: 44). She went beyond religious practice to real faith in God.

We have before this famous text of St. James: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go ion peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2: 14-17).

What St. James is asking us is to be ‘doers of the word’ and not just ‘hearers’. To be doers of the word is to put the Gospel into practice in our daily life, otherwise our faith will be a mere ‘religious practice’ and not ‘discipleship’ of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Gospels our Lord begins his public ministry by being engaged in ‘works’ which proclaimed that the Kingdom of God has come. He healed the sick, the blind, the deaf, the dumb and the lame, cleansed lepers, forgave sinners, raised the dead to life and identified himself with the poor, the oppressed, the marginalised and the least. What led him to do this? His communion with the Father and his unique understanding of God in the midst of the prevailing culture of monotheism that projected the idea of God as the Almighty Creator of the universe, the supreme monarch and sovereign law giver. The prayer Christ has taught us – the Our Father – summarises all of this newness in our understanding of God’s relationship with humanity and of religion itself that Jesus embodied in the person of Jesus.

In the Gospel of Luke there is an incident of the messengers from John the Baptist approaching Jesus to ask him whether he was truly the Messiah. To this question, the Lord does not give a direct answer but an indirect one. The Gospel tells that at the very hour Jesus “healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight” (Luke 7: 21). Then he said to the messengers: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Luke 7: 22-23).

These were the ‘works’ Jesus was engaged in and they demonstrated without any doubt that the ‘one who is to come’ had indeed come and the people had recognized their liberator and their redeemer. In him the kingdom of God has broken upon the earth.

The works of Jesus are not mere ‘charitable works’ that we are used to - the kind that we often look for to assuage our consciences and feel we are doing a great favour to God. The works of Jesus emanate from the merciful and loving heart of God to affirm the human dignity of every human person he healed or forgave or touched or allowed to touch him. This was God in our midst telling everyone that they were God’s children and heirs of his kingdom. The works that Jesus did spoke of God’s infinite compassion which gives comfort, healing and hope to every broken heart.

Through the parables of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37) or the Last Judgement (Mathew 25: 31-46) he has made it clear to us without mincing words that ‘works’ of mercy and compassion are indispensable for our salvation. They testify to our repentance for our sins and the infilling of God’s grace.

‘Charitable works’ more often than not send the message of ‘superiority’ and ‘inferiority’, of ‘magnanimity’ and ‘condescension’; they never demonstrate ‘equality’ or being brothers and sisters of the same family, or partners in a common origin and destiny. Worse still, mere ‘charitable works’ can never bring to my consciousness that I am ‘responsible’ for the poverty of the other, therefore it is my duty to ‘share’ my goods with the other in order to improve his/her life. There is no doubt charitable works are a means to alleviate the immediate sufferings of a person, but may not lead to ‘justice’ and ‘righteousness’ that the Holy Bible speaks of and which Jesus our Lord in his compassion stood for.

I came across a very enlightening passage about the early Christians, their practices and their impact:

“The earliest communities that followed Christ did not have to be told to be compassionate to the poor and marginalized. They merely did what they had seen Christ do and taught. They healed the sick and the crippled (Acts 3:1-10; 5:12-16). They made sure that no one among them was in need (Acts 4:32-36). They ensured that the most vulnerable in their communities were properly taken care of (Acts 6:1-7). They taught that the only sure sign of religion that God the Father accepted as pure and faultless (i.e. faith) was if the widows and orphans were taken care of (James 1:27). They said that one was saved by grace through faith and created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:8-10). [See Rupen Das, “A Compassionate Community: What did the Early Church Teach that Made Christians ‘Lovers of the Poor’? in Journal of European Baptist Studies Vol. 17, No. 2 (2017), 31-46 ].

It is historically documented that the idea of providing for the needs of the poor and marginalised was a revolutionary one and it came from the Christians in the Roman Empire between 300 -600 A.D.

Jesus’ invitation to ‘believe the works’ is a mandate to the Church to be faithful to the truth we have received from him in the power of the Holy Spirit and join hands with all people of good will to work for the coming of God’s Kingdom.

Let us remember that we are not justified by faith alone but by faith which is manifested in deeds which are the outcome of God’s grace. This is the true nature of the Church, the Body of Christ.

The words of Our Lord “And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mathew 28:20) have been the mainstay of the Church’s life and mission throughout the twenty-one centuries of her existence in human history. It refers not only to the Church as an organization but to our individual lives, to our lives as families, communities, institutions and movements – in every place where we are called upon to witness to our faith. A contemplative disposition in life is indispensable to experience the abiding presence of the Risen Lord with us.

The final words of our Lord are linked to the Great Commission: “Go therefore 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” (Mathew 28:19). However, the Great Commission is inexorably wedded to the Great Commandment. And what is the great commandment Our Lord has given us – or rather the ‘greatest’ as St. Paul would say (cf. 1Corinthians 13:13)? The commandment of love. Therefore the ‘Great Commission’ cannot be separated from the ‘Great Commandment’: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 14: 34-35). The final words of the parable of the Good Samaritan are part of this commandment: “You go, and do likewise” (Luke 10: 37). So also, the words after the ‘washing of the feet’: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet , you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13: 14-15). In fact, ‘to observe all that the Lord has commanded us’ is to follow the whole Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is a call to repentance and newness of life.

Baptism stands for this immersion into the newness of God’s Kingdom as revealed by Christ. It is not just a religious ritual that we have often reduced it to, but it is the complete surrender of ourselves to the power of God’s grace whereby we become fully partakers of the death and resurrection of Christ. As St. Paul teaches: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin… Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions…for sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:4-14).

From the day of our baptism, we begin to ‘abide in him and he in us’ like the ‘Vine and the Branches’ (cf. John 15:1-11) so that in our life’s journey, we can exclaim like St. Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”(Galatians 2:20). It is a personalrelationship with Christ and it gives meaning to our life – a ‘why’ to live which enables us to bear with almost any ‘how’. To abide in Christ is to abide in the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and the Holy Spirit (cf. John 14:23) which makes all the difference for our life.

St. Albert the Great, in his treatise on the Holy Spirit, gives us this insight: “For baptism is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God from a clear conscience. For this reason the Lord, to prepare us for the risen life, lays before us all the gospel precepts. We must avoid anger, endure evil, be free from the love of pleasure and the love of money. So shall we by our own choice achieve those things which are the natural endowments of the world to come.” (Office of Readings, Monday, 4 ^th Week of Eastertide).

This consciousness of being grounded in the Holy Trinity requires a mystical or contemplative disposition of the heart all the time lest we fall into shallowness of faith and slide into a state of being ‘nominal’ Christians who live the faith at the superficial level only whereas the inner self is not fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit.

One sign of shallowness of faith or even its decline is when parents try to enforce discipline or good behaviour in children by pointing to Jesus as an invisible ‘task master’ who is watching us all the time from a corner: “See, Jesus is looking at you; he will punish you if you act like this etc.”

Jesus is not a ‘policeman’ who‘s waiting to punish us at every turn of the road, but he is our loving Saviour who’s waiting to embrace us and assure us of our worth as children of God and absolutely worthy of God’s unconditional love, mercy, kindness, forgiveness and acceptance.

We should never put into the minds of children ‘wrong’ notions of God which engender servile fear; on the contrary we should lead them to a personal experience of Jesus Christ as our loving Saviour who has revealed the fulness of God’s love for us. Of this parents and elders have to be role models. It is not without reason that the evangelical and pentecostal movements were born in the Church to bring about that renewal in our Christian life that grounds our life on a personal experience of being saved by our Risen Lord who calls us by our name, and we respond saying, ‘Rabbuni’.

In his communion with the Father, Christ is our true model of the mystical dimension that should always define our life. His thoughts, words, actions, sufferings and finally the total surrender on the cross flow from this inner communion with the Father which he never allowed to diminish. His final words on the cross testify to it; and in a supreme way the Resurrection testifies to the eternal oneness between the Father and the Son.

In the episode of Jesus’ visit to Mary and Martha of Bethany, the advice of our Lord is so clear: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10: 41-42).

Sitting at the feet of the Lord and listening to him is the ‘good portion’ we must always choose in comparison to many other things that we may consider important in life. This attitude of constant prayerfulness and inner communion with our Lord Jesus Christ has much greater value for our salvation than being lost in mundane matters which, more often than not, cause us anxiety and worry leading to destructive behaviour – the reason for many a family breakdown and broken relationships.

In his ‘Sermon on the Mount’ Our Lord has exhorted us in no uncertain terms not to be ‘anxious’ about our life, about what we will eat and what we will drink and what we will wear etc. We must observe the birds of the air and the lilies and grass of the field and learn from them how our heavenly Father takes care of all of them. Jesus is not telling us not to be concerned about our material well-being; what he is telling is not to be ‘anxious’ about it and not to give it the first priority at the expense of the ‘kingdom of God’ and ‘ God’s righteousness’ which we must seek first. And undoubtedly “all these things will be added to you” – that is the promise of the Lord and he is not bluffing us (cf. Mathew 6:25-33).

A contemplative way of life will never fail us when it comes to ‘walking in love’ (cf. Ephesians 5) and ‘putting on the new self’ (cf. Colossians 3) which are the mark of Christian discipleship.

The history of the Church from its inception testifies to the living faith of Christ’s disciples in times of persecution and the courage to shed their blood for Christ when they could have easily betrayed him. This could never have been possible if they were not to experience the presence of the Risen Lord with them in the power of the Holy Spirit.

A very important aspect to note at the Ascension is that the disciples were not ‘sad’ at the departure of Jesus from their sight but they were filled with ‘joy’ as they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost – the power from on high (cf. Luke 24:50).

At Pentecost the Church is born as the Body of Christ sharing in the life of the Holy Trinity, the People of God bound to Christ in discipleship, a community fully immersed in the joy of the Holy Spirit and empowered to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom to the world by being courageous witnesses of the Risen Lord until he comes again.

In fact, right from the day of the Resurrection, the constant refrain is one of joy, not sadness as the various disciples of Jesus encounter him as the Risen Lord: the women at the tomb, Mary Magdalene, the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, Peter and John at the empty tomb, the Eleven huddled in fear, the disciples at the shore of Lake Galilee in the wee hours of the morning.

We must remember that the Lord’s promise to be with us until the close of the age is a call to encounter him and experience his living presence at every moment of our life just as it happened at the Resurrection and Pentecost.

When we experience him as our Good Shepherd, we will also look forward to the everlasting pastures of paradise and the deepest joys God has prepared for those who have longed to see him face to face. Pope St. Gregory the Great warns us: “No misfortune should distract us from this happiness and deep joy; for if anyone is anxious to reach a destination, the roughness of the road will not make him change his mind. The charms of prosperity must not lead us astray; for only a foolish traveller, when he sees pleasant fields on his way, forgets to go on towards his destination.” (Office of Readings, 4 ^th Sunday of Eastertide - Good Shepherd Sunday).

The Eucharist is the sacrament par excellence of the life and mission of the Church and the period of Eastertide beginning with Easter Sunday and ending with Pentecost Sunday brings this reality so sharply to our consciousness!

After instituting the Holy Eucharist before his death on the cross Our Lord Jesus Christ ‘breaks bread’ with the two disciples on their way to Emmaus on the very day of the Resurrection and they ‘recognize’ him in that action. That action of Our Lord also becomes the springboard for the two disciples to run with joy to give the good news of the Resurrection to the Eleven who are still in fear (cf. Luke 24:13-35). Of course, the Risen Lord himself appears to the frightened Eleven soon after the Emmaus encounter, eats with them, opens their eyes, gives them the gift of his peace and constitutes them as his Spirit-filled witnesses to place before the whole of humanity the joyful call to ‘repentance for the forgiveness of sins’ in his name (cf. Luke 24: 36-49).

In the Eucharist we experience the presence of the Risen Lord with us who opens our minds to understand the mystery of his suffering, death and resurrection as told in the Scriptures, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit to be the courageous witnesses of Our Lord Jesus Christ in this world.

The Acts of the Apostles describe the early Spirit-filled fellowship of the believers who were united in the communion of the Church through the breaking of the bread, listening to the Word, heeding the Apostolic teaching, praising and worshipping God, holding everything in common, and proclaiming through word and deed the Good News of salvation in Christ.

This is the foundation of our Eucharistic tradition which has come down to us from the Apostles as the anamnesis (memorial) of our reconciliation in Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 5: 16-20). In the Eucharist we actually remember and celebrate the reconciliation of the whole of humanity and creation in Christ. Here are the truth-bearing words of St. Paul: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1: 7-10).

Therefore, the Eucharist is the most sublime moment of prayer and contemplation, of our communion with the Holy Trinity, our communion with the whole Church in space and time, our communion with the whole of creation and our communion with one another. Every word and action of the liturgy takes us deeper and deeper into the mystery of salvation every time we participate in the Holy Mass.

To those whose hearts are not attuned to the divine, the liturgy can be ‘boring’ because the words of the Mass never change, they are always the same with seeming repetition and lack of spontaneity. Since the prayers are formal they can be boringly familiar and our mind can flee elsewhere. In such a situation the Eucharist does not become the prayerful encounter with the Risen Lord we should long for but an ‘obligation’ to be fulfilled.

As I was reading the book Prayer by Joyce Rupp (Bengaluru: ATC Publications, 2007), I was struck by some very profound yet practical thoughts on “Praying the Eucharist”. She speaks of the ‘spiritual potency’ of the Eucharist which she experienced on a day when, while standing in line to receive Communion with her outstretched hand, the consecrated hosts were over. She says, “I felt like a little bird with its mouth open, with nothing to be had. I stood and waited for what seemed an eternity until the Eucharistic minister returned with the remaining consecrated wafers. As I returned to my place, gratitude for the Gift I had received encompassed me” (p. 88).

She describes a familiar feeling many of us may have experienced when we see little pre-Communion children with eyes wide open, looking up eagerly and watching the elders receive Communion. She says: “At that moment, I regained my own wonder for what was taking place” (p. 89). Childlikeness is often synonymous with a sense of wonder and awe, and this is precisely what the Eucharist does to each one of us – it fills us with a sense of wonder and awe at the great and unfathomable mystery of our redemption in Christ.

The Eucharistic liturgy provides numerous opportunities for us to move into personal prayer: “If we are open and vigilant, a thought from a good homily, the lines of a song, a text from the scripture readings, or a phrase from the Eucharistic prayer can draw us into a deepening sense of how God is moving within and among us. For example, the words to the Our Father hold immense potential for transforming prayer. Just one line such as ‘forgive us our trespassers as we forgive those who trespass against us’ contains enough spiritual fuel to last a lifetime” (p. 89).

It's amazing, but true that we can receive healing of our physical and especially emotional wounds just with the words we address to the Lord before receiving Communion, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed’.

Another miracle that takes place at the Eucharistic table is the ‘awareness of other people who gather for the Eucharist’ – the awareness that we are truly the Body of Christ. I can still remember a man in a parish in the U.S. who would never respond ‘Amen’ to the words, ‘the Body of Christ’ but would say, ‘yes, that’s what we are’. We are called to look beyond the bread we eat and the cup we drink in order to be ‘Eucharistic’ people. In the presence of the Eucharistic Christ, we allow ourselves “to be taken by Jesus, blessed, broken, and distributed to others for their nourishment, passing on the gift, the wonder, and the grace of Christ” (p. 90).

Joyce Rupp speaks of the mystical way in which Christ reaches out to us through each person who gathers for prayer. Through the Eucharistic Christ we are connected with one another. She narrates the incident of a teenage girl:

“One time a teenage girl next to me hung her head and slumped back on the pew throughout the service. Her body language told me this was the last place she wanted to be . I wondered what caused her mood, perhaps a painful menstrual cycle, or a breakup with a young love, or alienation from a parent. I felt drawn to extend kindness and understanding to her. Throughout the liturgy, I deliberately united Christ’s compassion to the young woman. I longed for her to be at peace. Eventually, I felt a gentle communion between myself and the unhappy teenager. This experience taught me the possibility of ‘passing on the gift, the wonder, and the grace of Christ’ to others” (pp. 90-91).

When we participate in the Eucharistic liturgy, it is good to ask ourselves what may be going on in the heart of each person who is present with me before the altar of the Lord and try to be part of that person’s joys as well as sorrows as we lift up each one of them to the Lord. Let us remember that we are joined by our common faith, our common hope and our common love that binds all of us together into the one Body of Christ and it is this truth that makes all the difference between our sacramental unity in the Church and any gathering outside the Eucharist.

As the devil tries to lure the world more and more into sin we can witness the marvellous surge of daily Mass attendance and Eucharistic Adoration Centres in every diocese of the world including ours. Isn’t it truly a sign from God that the defeat of the devil lies in the power of the Eucharist?

Here are some powerful personal testimonies from a diocese in the USA as they prepare for the National Eucharistic Congress (June 17-21, 2024). It is called Project ‘I Am Here’:

“I have experienced the healing and transformative power of the Eucharist through my relationships, in freedom from past struggles and sins, and in an unending desire for closeness with God. Little did I know before heading out on this journey of daily Mass that my vision and focus were so clouded. I constantly measured myself by those around me, but I didn’t look at the summit of creation, Jesus Himself! Since going to Mass daily, I have been confronted with my own brokenness and poverty; this is something I had never truly contemplated. I felt like the Eucharist was given to me to get through life rather than to be truly impacted by it. I certainly never thought I would ever get over my past failures as a teammate, son, and friend. Through the Eucharist, I have come to know a love and peace that gives me the strength and desire to express its power to others. The Eucharist has altered my focus and direction in life. It has shown me the need for community and the need for relationships with God and other people”.

“While I am at adoration and praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament, I often think about how radically different and mysterious our faith truly is. Adoration is one of those spaces in which I love to experience Christ’s love. While at adoration, I take on the image of being before Christ at one of His many teachings expressed in the Bible, sitting before Him, and experiencing His words and His love, and truly being able to experience the truth He is expressing. Being in the Real Presence of Christ in that way expresses the closeness that God desires to have with us”.

“My life has completely changed since I came to realize the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. I was away from the Church for 40 years when the Holy Spirit revealed to me the Real Presence in the Eucharist, and I had to return to the faith I was born into. Today, I am not the same person I was 16 years ago. I have developed a real friendship with Jesus Christ, and adoration allows me to communicate with Jesus on a personal level”.

“I give my time and love to Jesus, and He gives His time and love back to me. That fills me with an unexplainable peace that helps me to love others”.

“I love Mass because it takes me to the Last Supper and reminds me of how much Jesus loves me (and all of us). The readings remind me of how His presence was foretold and how God never deceives us. The presence of other people during Mass reminds me that we are one Church, the bride of Christ and God’s children. The presence of others in the Mass also reminds me of the good people who have died – some martyrs for the Faith and others who did what they could to share their faith throughout their lives. In the Eucharist., we come together as one Church to be the one Body that is Christ within our world. He lives through us”.

In the midst of all the pulls and pressures of life God offers us annually, through his Church, the forty days of Lent which is a precious and sacred time resonating with those salvific words of Our Lord: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1: 15). There cannot be salvation without repentance, and there cannot be repentance unless we enter into the cave of our heart in silent introspection of the state of our life and our relationship with God, with oneself and with one another. This happened with the prodigal son when he realized in the silence of his heart the miserable state in which he had fallen and decided on the spot to retrace his steps back to the father’s house in humble repentance. That parable has to be re-lived by us at all moments of our life, and especially during the season of Lent. What is the miracle that takes place in the life of the prodigal son through his return to his father’s house? He breaks free from the power of sin by his decision to come back and beg for forgiveness; and the greater miracle that he experiences is the unconditional love and compassion of his father to accept him back into the family with great rejoicing. This is the miracle - of repentance and of God’s infinite love and compassion that we celebrate during Lent and at Easter. The grace and the glory of God are so powerfully manifested in that event!

There is no gainsaying the fact that very often in our life we point a finger at the faults and failures, true or imagined, of others through critical remarks, backbiting, gossiping, rumour-mongering, character assassination and spreading malicious libel by way of anonymous letters. Every such person should realize that he/she has his/her own faults and failures. There is a saying that, when we point one finger at others, four fingers point back at us; and there are times we also project our own selves onto others. We notice in the Gospels that self-righteousness on the part of the pharisees was a huge inner block to their conversion of heart and their returning to the Lord in humble repentance. That is the reason why the Lord told the parable of the “The Pharisee and the Tax Collector” (Luke 18:9-14) with this moral: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” This is the question one must always ask oneself: Do I exalt myself, or do I humble myself before God? The season of Lent gives us a beautiful opportunity to do this.

Proud boasting of our moral uprightness will never bring us new life, but humble acknowledgement of our sinfulness and nothingness before God definitely will. St. Paul understood this great mystery of salvation in his conversion to Christ and so would exclaim: “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” (2Timothy 1: 12-16).

The one message that rings loud and clear in the depths of our hearts all the time is: “ ‘Yet even now’, declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.’ Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” (Joel 2:12-13), but to recognize the message and listen to it effectively we need a heart that is attuned to God; and the season of Lent is precisely that time which creates the right ambience for the heart to LISTEN to the voice of God within us. We should never let this holy season go by without reaping the spiritual benefits of it, for who knows, this may be the last time in our life that we have this opportunity to return to the Lord in repentance!

Pope Francis, in his Lenten Message for 2024 titled, “Through the Desert God Leads us to Freedom” underlines our existential experience of bondage from which God sets us free through the Paschal Mystery of Christ. The ‘exodus’ of the People of Israel from slavery in Egypt to the freedom of the Promised Land is but a metaphor for the infinitely greater exodus that will be ours from sin to fullness of life through the death and resurrection of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Father exhorts us to make our celebration of Lent concrete by first desiring to open our eyes to reality. And what is the reality in the light of God’s words to Moses: “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of the land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:7-8)? The reality is: “Today too, the cry of so many of our oppressed brothers and sisters rises to heaven. Let us ask ourselves: Do we hear their cry? Does it trouble us? Does it move us? All too many things keep us apart from each other, denying the fraternity that, from the beginning, binds us to one another.”

If our journey of Lent has to be concrete, we have to listen once more to the two questions of the Lord God in the Book of Genesis: “Where are you”? (Genesis 3:9) to Adam, and “Where is your brother?” (Genesis 4:9) to Cain the murderer of Abel. When we try to answer to God these two questions we realize that even today we are enslaved to sin, that we are in bondage, that our souls are polluted whereby we pollute the earth, the air and the water. Despite the liberation that Baptism has achieved in us, we still long for the slavery of Egypt, the rule of Pharoah as the people of Israel did. We do not want to enter into that freedom that Christ our Lord offers us in the power of the Spirit.

However, all is not lost. The Book of Exodus affirms that God takes the initiative to bring us into freedom. God gives us hope. Therefore, we have to welcome the season of Lent as that great season in which God reminds us: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). It is a season of conversion, a time of freedom. The temptations of Jesus in the desert tell us that “our freedom can mature in a personal decision not to fall back into slavery”. The freedom into which God calls is the freedom of ‘sons and daughters’ of God, not ‘subjects’ of Pharaoh.

There is no doubt, the journey to freedom is also a struggle. We have to struggle to be freed from the deeply seductive idols we set up for ourselves: to be all-powerful, to be looked up to by all, to domineer over others, to be make more and more money, also attachment to certain projects, ideas, goals, positions, traditions, and even to certain individuals. These idols paralyze us, instead of helping us to move forward – “instead of encounter, they create conflict”.

Therefore, Lent is a time to pause in PRAYER. We are called to receive deep into our hearts the word of God, “to pause like the Samaritan in the presence of a wounded brother or sister” because love of God and love of neighbour are one love. This gives meaning to the threefold dimensions of Lent. Pope Francis summarises it beautifully:

“For this reason, prayer, almsgiving and fasting are not three unrelated acts, but a single movement of openness and self-emptying, in which we cast out the idols that weigh us down, the attachments that imprison us. Then the atrophied and isolated heart will revive. Slow down, then, and pause! The contemplative dimension of life that Lent helps us to rediscover will release new energies. In the presence of God, we become brothers and sisters, more sensitive to one another: in place of threats and enemies, we discover companions and fellow travellers. This is God’s dream, the promised land to which we journey once we have left our slavery behind.”

The conversionthat Lent brings into our lives will lead us deeper into synodality, a process we have embarked upon in order to be more authentic and faithful witnesses of the Gospel in our world. The Pope reminds us of the communitarian life-style of the Gospel that should mark our life and which should be a counter current. Through a synodal way of life we should be able to influence society to live a life-style where there is justice and righteousness, a sharing of goods, real care of creation and uplift of the poor and the neglected. Only then will humanity experience freshness of life, “a burst of creativity, a flash of new hope.”

Our return to the Lord is a decision that has to happen NOW: “Behold, now is the favourable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2); and “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Hebrews 3:15).

The above words are of the great doctor of the Church St. Augustine who prayed thus in his Confessions:

“Let me know you, O you who know me; then shall I know even as I am known. You are the strength of my soul; make your way in and shape it to yourself, that it may be yours to have and to hold, free from stain or wrinkle. I speak because this is my hope, and whenever my joy springs from that hope it is joy well founded.”

“Give yourself, O my God, give yourself to me. Behold I love you, and if my love is too weak, grant me to love you more strongly… I want you in my very self. All the plenty in the world which is not my God is utter want. Amen.”

“Too late have I loved you, O Beauty, ancient yet ever new. Too late have I oved you! And behold, you were within, but I was outside, searching for you there – plunging, deformed amid those fair forms which you had made…You called and shouted, and burst my deafness. You gleamed and shone upon me, and chased away my blindness. You breathed fragrant odours on me, and I held back my breath, but now I pant for you. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, and now I yearn for your peace.”

The holy season of Lent marked by serenity and sombreness calls us to lay our hearts bare before God in REPENTANCE so that the grace of God can illumine us and restore in us the image of God lost through sin. We will become new persons only when we encounter Christ Jesus and live in a personal relationship of faith and love with him who is Our Saviour and Lord. It is only through REPENTANCE that we can be saved and enter God’s Kingdom.

Jesus Christ begins his ministry with the call to repentance: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mathew 4:17) or “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1: 15).

When we don’t want to respond to God’s grace because it costs us, we close the doors of our hearts to the call of God by a variety of arguments, justifications and excuses, but the Lord will keep gently knocking on our doors to want to enter into our hearts: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation: 3:20).

It is fact that the Spirit of the Lord will never cease to speak to us in the depths of our consciences about where we are and which direction we ned to take. Like the fighter pilots who have to constantly ask themselves – ‘where am I’, ‘what am I doing here’, ‘what do I need to do next’ we have to ask ourselves the same questions in our spiritual life too, knowing that the time before us is short and we have to put ourselves on the right track lest we perish eternally. This also is the work of God’s grace.

The seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit received at Baptism and confirmed in the Sacrament of Confirmation precisely tell us this great truth of our empowering in the Holy Spirit – the mystery of our inner communion with the Holy Trinity:

1. The Gift of Wisdom: the gift of wisdom strengthens our faith, fortifies our hope, perfects charity and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree; it enlightens the mind to discern and relish things divine, and particularly the mystery of the Cross of Christ whereby, in comparison to dying with Christ and rising with him, we consider everything else this world can give us as mere “rubbish” (cf. Philippians 3:8).

2. The Gift of Understanding: through this gift the Holy Spirit helps us to understand the meaning of the truths of our faith, to appreciate, relish them and penetrate their inner meaning and thereby to be quickened to newness of life; our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, on the contrary our mode of life becomes an eloquent testimony to our faith

3. The Gift of Knowledge: this gift enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth, unmask their pretence and their emptiness and recognize their true purpose, i.e., as instruments in the service of God; through knowledge we come to know the loving care of God even in adversity and to glorify him in every circumstance.

4. The Gift of Counsel: the gift of counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling us to judge promptly and rightly what must be done, especially in difficult circumstances by applying the principles of understanding and knowledge to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, pastors of souls, consecrated religious, public servants, and citizens of our motherland who follow Christ.

5. The Gift of Fortitude: strengthens the soul against natural fear, and supports us to the end in the performance of duty in obedience to God’s will; it imparts to the will a divine impulse and energy to undertake without hesitancy the most arduous tasks for the sake of the Gospel, to face all kinds of dangers, to trample underfoot human respect in daily life, to witness to, our Christian and Catholic faith without fear and be faithful to Christ even to shedding of our blood.

6. The Gift of Piety: this gift begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father and inspires us to serve and respect for His sake persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority – our parents, our superiors, our country and its rulers, etc. so that the practice of our faith does not become a burdensome duty but a delightful service.

7. The Gift of Fear of God: the gift of fear of God fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin; it is a fear that arises not from fear of hell, but from the sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our Heavenly Father; this fear detaches us from all worldly pleasures that could separate in any way from God, hence the Bible tells us, “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” ().

St. Augustine embodies in his life that personal relationship with the Triune God that should be the hallmark of Christian discipleship sealed by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is an I-Thou relationship, not a philosophizing or speculating or theorizing. St. Augustine came to this moment of grace through an arduous path of immoral life, search for the truth and finally conversion to Christ. As we know from tradition, his mother St. Monica played a great spiritual role in his journey of conversion to the Catholic Christian faith by not ceasing to pray for his conversion. He tells the story of his conversion and new life in his classical work Confessions which is considered to be one of the greatest Christian testimonies of all time. His other work City of God reminds us not to lose sight of the heavenly city as we endeavour to build the earthly city.

However, the conversion of St. Augustine has its precedents in the New Testament which sets the foundational pattern for all future faith experiences of conversion to Christ through a personal encounter with him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

The Gospels narrate to us the life-transforming encounters of people with the Lord and there was no going back. It was new life from then on.

When the Lord called his first disciples, they “left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11). In John’s Gospel, Andrew runs and calls his brother Simon Peter in excitement, ”We have found the Messiah!” (John 1:41). They all go and stay with the Lord and follow him thereafter, though the decisive transformation would happen only with the encounter with the Risen Lord and in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost . The Acts of the Apostles depict that transformation of the Apostles from being frightened and demoralised men to being Spirit-filled zealous and fearless witnesses of the Good News to the ends of the earth.

In the episode of the Samaritan woman’s encounter with the Lord, she receives the light of God’s grace to know herself, and in that dialogue with the Lord she is converted. She believes that he is truly the prophet, the Messiah who is to come. Leaving her water jar at the well she runs into the town with the Good News to all that she has found the Christ who has revealed her entire life to her. She is not submerged in guilt but is brimming with the joy of God’s mercy in Christ which propels her to call everyone she meets to come and encounter the Lord; and all the people who came to meet the Lord believed in him and they could exclaim, “we know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world” (John 4:42).

May this Lenten Season be a joyful experience of returning to God in repentance and attaining new life in Christ.

In the Catholic Church, the New Year always begins on a spiritual note with the celebration of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. By this we dedicate the entire year to her and entrust ourselves to her intercession, knowing full well that she teaches us the way of discipleship par excellence. We have reflected on it at length during Advent and Christmastide.

However, in the Christmas events we cannot ignore St. Joseph, the Blessed Spouse of Mary, who also plays an inalienable role in the history of our salvation. Like, Abraham at the beginning of the Old Testament, Joseph too is a model of trusting faith in God and obedience to God’s will at the threshold of the New Testament. It is not without reason that Pope Francis dedicated a whole year to St. Joseph in 2019 so that the whole Church could benefit from the various aspects of his spirituality. This spirituality of remaining ‘behind the curtains’ is so essential in a world that places so much premium on ‘publicity’, ‘being in the limelight’ and making ‘a name for oneself’.

This humility of St. Joseph should lead us all not to boast about our achievements but to bless and praise God for his infinite mercies, because, if not for the mercy of God we would be nowhere. The beginning of the year should inspire us to bless God as St. Gertrude does (November 16):

“May my soul bless you, my God and my Creator; may my soul bless you always. From the innermost depths of my being may your own mercies give praise to you. With them your limitless love has compassed me on all sides unworthy as I am, and in every way I can I thank your infinite mercy”.

Very meaningful is the 1 ^st Reading from the Book of Numbers (Nb. 6:22-27) for the Mass of 1 January every year:

“The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

What does this word of God emphasize?

It emphasizes the fact that the real blessing we must seek is the blessing of his merciful countenance to be lifted upon us, which alone will ensure the gift of God’s peace in our life.

More often than not ‘blessings of God’ are understood only in material terms, normally called ‘prosperity’. Very few of us will think in terms of spiritual prosperity which is of greater value for this earth as well as for eternal life. We must indeed pray and work for ‘material’ prosperity as Our Lord has told us in the ‘Our Father’ – to pray ‘daily bread’. However, he has clearly taught us what we should pray for first:

-that God’s name be made holy

-that God’s kingdom come

-that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven

And, above all,

-that God should forgive us our sins as we forgive the wrongs of others.

The encounter of the Risen Lord with the two sad and dejected disciples on the road to Emmaus (cf. Luke 24:13-35) could serve as a very good metaphor for the journey of our life as we traverse 2024.

The Lord enters into our life exactly at that point where we are distressed, demoralised and forlorn. He listens to our stories of joy and pain and lifts up our spirits with his word. He teaches us about our call to discipleship and the meaning of suffering and death from a disciple’s perspective.

At the Eucharist he breaks for us the word and the bread and shares with us the chalice – in that act we recognize him as our Risen Lord who walks with us in our life’s journey accompanying us at every moment and in every situation as our Saviour and our Good Shepherd. He takes away all our fears, our anxieties, our worries, our distress, our discouragement, and the burdens we carry in our life. He tells us to place all these burdens on him and he will give rest to our souls. In return he places his burden on us, which is to trust in him as our Saviour and Lord and to love him as our most dear friend.

This experience of a personal relationship with the Lord always fills our hearts with a joy that is inexpressible in words.

As we look into 2024 that’s unfolding before us we don’t know what awaits us and whether all our plans and purposes would be fulfilled, but one thing we can definitely do and that is, to entrust our life and the coming year into the hands of our God – Father, Son and Spirit – and ask Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, to lead us unto green pastures as we sing the hymn we love so much:

SHEPHERD OF MY SOUL

Shepherd of my soul,

I give you full control,

wherever you may lead I will follow.

I have made the choice

to listen for your voice

wherever you may lead I will go (2).

This beautiful prayer tells us that our Christian life is founded on prayer individual and collective, especially family prayer. The last should never be neglected whatever be the challenges of modern times. Through prayer we nourish our souls and remain focused on our eternal destiny in Christ.

Our prayer testifies to our unflinching faith in our resurrection and the life of the world to come. Pope St. Clement I (third Pope – November 23) speaks of the gifts of God which we already comprehend while on the journey of life in this world:

“the life that knows no death, the shining splendour of righteousness, the truth that is frank and full, the faith that is perfect assurance, the holiness of chastity.”

Through these spiritual gifts we also learn to wait in patience for the revealing of Christ and sharing in his eternal blessedness. We learn to fix our minds trustfully on God, “by finding out what is pleasing and acceptable to him; by doing whatever agrees with his perfect will; by following the paths of truth.” Therefore, “Wickedness and wrongdoing of every kind must be utterly renounced; all greed, quarrelling, malice and fraud.”

Let us remember that through baptism we are called to be living temples of the Holy Trinity. At the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (November 9), we have this profound reflection of St. Caesarius of Arles:

“The more profoundly we meditate on our salvation, the more deeply we come to realize that we are indeed the true and living temples of God. God does not live only in shrines made by man, structures of wood or stone, but above all he lives in the soul which is made after his image; shrines built by the hand of the great craftsman himself.” Therefore, it is more important not to defile the soul with the filth and darkness of sin than to keep the church building spotlessly clean and bright.

Intercessory prayer is the distinguishing mark of the Church as the Body of Christ. It plays a very important role in our life of prayer. As Christians we pray not only for ourselves individually but for the entire Church and the whole world. St. Ambrose (Monday of Week 27 of the Year) puts it so pointedly:

“But you are taught to pray above all for the people, that is for the whole body, for all the members of your holy mother the Church, whose distinguishing mark is brotherly love. If you ask for something for yourself, you will be praying only for yourself. And if everyone prays only for himself, then you must remember that the favour shown to a sinner is less than that granted to someone asking on behalf of another. But now, because each is praying for all, then all are praying for everyone.

We can sum up in this way: if you ask for something only for yourself, you will be asking for yourself, as we have said, on your own. But if you ask for everybody, then everybody will be asking for you. For you are in fact in all. The reward, then, is great, for the support of the whole people is gained for each individual by the prayers of each individual. There is no presumption in this point of view, only a sign of greater humility and the prospect of richer benefits.”

With these exhortations from the great Teachers of the Church, let us enter the New Year 2024 by joyfully entrusting our life’s journey into the hands of our loving Saviour Jesus Christ, Our Good Shepherd who laid down his life for us in love so that we may not perish but have eternal life.

As the year 2023 slowly nears its end, one feeling common to us all is the passing of time. We usually exclaim, ‘how fast the year has passed!’. In the fast-paced life of ours it is but natural to feel the swift passage of time, especially when life’s targets are many and the time is too short to fulfil all the goals. Probably in our younger days we used to feel that time is not passing as fast as we would want to, but as we grow older we feel it’s passing like sand falling through our fingers.

Should this growing consciousness of the swift passing of time make us downcast, morose, dejected and sad because we have grown ‘older’ by an year and there’s less time left for us to live on this earth?

Certainly, we should not be sad, rather joyful because we are growing in wisdom as we grow in age.

The portion called ‘Wisdom Literature’ of the Holy Bible is vast consisting of the following books:-Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Wisdom of Solomon and Wisdom of Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus) – all of the Old Testament; but truly the entire Bible in its Old and New Testaments is ‘wisdom’ – fulfilled in Jesus Christ our Lord who is God’s infinite wisdom incarnate.

The Wisdom of Solomon begins with an exhortation to uprightness which is addressed to rulers but is applicable to all and sundry:

“Love righteousness you rulers of the earth, think of the Lord with uprightness and seek him with sincerity of heart; because he is found by those who do not put him to the test and manifests himself to those who do not distrust him. For perverse thoughts separate people from God, and when his power is tested, it convicts the foolish; because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul or dwell in a body enslaved to sin. For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit and will rise and depart from foolish thoughts and will be ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness” (The Wisdom of Solomon 1: 1-5).

This ‘uprightness’ which belongs to the First Covenant is so beautifully encapsulated in instructions like these:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and to bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am’ “ (Isaiah 58: 6-9).

This was to be fulfilled in the New Covenant which would be written not on stone tablets, but carved on the heart: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people… for they shall all know me, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31: 33-34).

The New Covenant has been sealed in the precious blood of Christ (cf. Luke 22:20), the mystery which we remember and celebrate at every Eucharist. In the Eucharist we remember that the Holy Spirit has written the Gospel in our hearts as St Paul testifies:

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 2:14-19).

The fullness of God is Christ our Saviour, who is “wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1Corinthians 1: 30). He is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1Corinthians 1:24). In the folly of the cross there is no lofty eloquence of worldly wisdom but a supreme paradox: “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1Corinthians 1:25). So, in what consists our wisdom? In daily following Christ Our Lord and participating in his death and resurrection, keeping before us always the crown of eternal glory that awaits us.

In the parable of the ‘two builders’ (cf. Mathew 7: 24-27) our Lord has clearly warned us that we have to be ‘wise’ and not ‘foolish’ in order to enter the Kingdom of God.

A wise person walks by faith, not by sight (cf. 2Corinthians 5:7). This faith is our longing for the “building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2Corinthians 5:1). While we are living in this earthly home – the tent which will be destroyed – we are groaning and longing to enter our heavenly dwelling and to put on the clothing of immortality so that “what is mortal may be swallowed up by life” (2Corinthians 5:4).

The vision of eternal life won for us by the Lord will also determine the way we live our life here on earth and where we need to apply the correctives in the light of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit will never cease to challenge us regarding our choices in this life and the decisions we need to take in view of our eternal salvation. The two parables of the ‘Hidden Treasure’ and ‘Pearl of Great Value’ (cf. Mathew 13: 44-46) illustrate the choices of those who are wise in the eyes of God.

In our faith reflection on the mystery of time, I would like to briefly highlight some truths that emerge from the word of God. They give meaning to our life and its every moment:

1. Our Trinitarian God – Father, Son and Spirit – is in control of the whole universe and nothing is outside this control. This is the first truth . Our God is not only the creator of the universe but also its ruler who governs all that he has created with justice and love. So many Psalms like Psalm 135, 136 are expressions of this faith. In Psalm 103: 11-19 there is a powerful depiction of the immensity of God’s mercy and love in contrast to the utter frailty of the human person. We must listen to Psalm 139 in particular to marvel at the omnipresence of God and praise him for the knowledge of each fibre of our being and each moment of our life. Psalms 146 and 147 proclaim that the God who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is them, who has determined the number of the stars and given to each one of them their names (they are millions of them!) is also the God “who executes justice for the oppressed, who “gives food to the hungry”, who “sets prisoners free”, who “opens the eyes of the blind”, who “lifts up those who are bowed down, who “upholds the widow and the fatherless but brings to ruin “the way of the wicked”, who “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds”.

2. The second truth is what our Lord Jesus who is the “image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15) has taught us regarding God’s love for us, of the God who is not a distant judge but our ‘Heavenly Father’. We find it in the Sermon on the Mount where our Lord is asking us not to have any anxiety and worry about what we are going to eat and drink and wear because our Heavenly Father knows all our needs even before we express them (cf. Mathew 6:25ff), but to be anxious about the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these things will be given to us (cf. Mathew 6:33). If our Heavenly Father loves and cares for the flowers of the field and the birds of the air so lovingly, how much more will he not care for us who are the crown of his creation?

3. The third truth is what every passing day brings before the eyes of our mind, i.e., the shortness of our life.Psalm 90 says: “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away…So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Ps 90: 10-12).

The wisdom that comes from above is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (cf. James 3:13-18). This wisdom leads us to seek the imperishable treasure which paves the way to the citizenship of heaven. St. Paul’s instruction to Timothy should be always kept in mind: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Our true aim should be to be rich in good works and store up treasure for eternal life.

4. The fourth truth is about sufferings in our life. In life we experience both joys and sorrows and we have to thank God for both because sorrows are also blessings from God pointing invariably to that bliss of eternal life that this world cannot give us. Our Lord has told us very clearly: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me… For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul” (Mathew 16:24-26); “… unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life, loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:24-25). Through our sufferings – whether physical or emotional – God disciplines us so that we can be purified and shaped and made fit for the citizenship of heaven. If we live in the Vine we will also be ‘pruned’ in order to bear more fruit (cf. John 15: 1-2). Sufferings are essential for the life of grace and are to be accepted as God’s will for us though more often than not we try to avoid them.

5. The fifth and very important truth in the entire discourse on the passage of time is the reality of the HERE and NOW. It is essential to recognize the present moment and make it grace-filled for which there is no age bar and no conditions. St. Paul affirms: “Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation” (2Corinthians 6:5). We should never be bogged down by the past, either to glorify it or to denounce it or to reject it. In his Sacrifice on the Cross Our Lord has wiped away all our sins and the guilt associated with them (cf. Colossians 2: 13-14); therefore, the burden of past sins should never bother us once we have confessed them in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and have been absolved.

It is necessary to accept the past, but it is more necessary to be grounded in the present and embrace the future with hope. By making the present moment Spirit-filled we will pave the way to a future where God’s grace rules and ultimately prepare us for the ETERNAL NOW of God’s Kingdom where we will behold the Holy Trinity face to face and enjoy the eternal bliss of Paradise.

Though every passing year brings us closer to eternity, it should also see us growing in faith, hope and love. May that happen in 2024.

With the celebration of the Feast of Christ the King on November 26, 2023, we will bring to a close the liturgical year 2022-23, and with the First Sunday of Advent on December 3, 2023, we will begin the new Liturgical Year 2023-24.

In our life we are familiar with ‘calendar year’, ‘academic year’ and ‘financial year’. The calendar year from January to December is the fundamental point of reference for our birth and death and all the events of our life while we are on this earth. It takes us through the change of seasons and has much to do with the crops we cultivate for our sustenance and the religious as well as cultural ordering of our lives in its various aspects. The calendar year is indispensable for human history.

However, the other two ‘years’ – academic and financial - have been created for specific purposes within our life’s cycle and their ending is very important for the shape our life will take. The academic year usually ends with exams to gauge our academic progress during the year while the latter ends with the auditing of our accounts to give us a picture of the financial progress of the year. Both these exercises provide us with a ‘report’ as to how we have fared during the year and, in their own way, determine the next course of action for our life.

What about the ‘liturgical year’ divided into the seasons of Advent - Christmastide – Lent - Eastertide - Ordinary Time and adorned with numerous commemorations of Saints, especially of our Blessed Mother every month? What role does it play in our Christian life as members of the Catholic Church? Do we need to do an ‘end of the year’ review and reckoning in order to be aware of where we stand before God and in our discipleship of Our Lord Jesus Christ?

The Holy Spirit has inspired the Church to create the ‘liturgical year’ so that we may grow not only physically, intellectually, socially and economically but above all spiritually , i.e., in God’s grace and sanctify every moment of our life as we move through time and know that our true destiny is not on this earth but in the world to come: “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). When we walk in the light of God’s grace we judge everything from the point of view of God’s Kingdom as proclaimed by Our Lord Jesus Christ and make the values and priorities of the Gospel the pattern of our life.

In our Christian life of discipleship, our heart has to be where our treasure is; and where is our treasure? Our treasure is in heaven “where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Mathew 6:20). We have to keep before us always the words of Our Lord: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mathew 6:33). If we are looking for earthly treasures only we will be like the foolish man in the ‘Parable of the Rich Fool’ (cf. Luke 12: 13-21) who considered himself rich and secure because he had gathered wealth for himself on this earth, but that very night his soul was called to account and he had to leave everything behind. Earthly prosperity and success did not guarantee for him eternal salvation, on the contrary it endangered his salvation. Therefore, Our Lord warns us, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12: 21).

From the day of our Baptism, we have pledged our fidelity to Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and have made our promise to walk on his path that leads to salvation. It is a difficult path as Our Lord himself has clearly told us without mincing words, but also a path of joy and blessedness that comes from above and which this world cannot give us.

Without prejudice to God’s grace to act in every person in ways that surpass human understanding, still at the end of every liturgical year we definitely need to examine our consciences to take stock of our spiritual progress and ask ourselves whether we have walked faithfully on the path of the Gospel and allowed the Holy Spirit to lead us more deeply into the Paschal Mystery of Christ.

Let us evaluate our life in the light of the Gospel to check where we stand in terms of our faithfulness to the Word of life, that is, Our Lord Jesus Christ himself who is our way, our truth and our life.

Our Lord’s teaching on repentance, on the beatitudes, on humility, on peace and reconciliation, on compassion, on forgiveness, on love, on selfless service, on childlikeness, on prayer, on seeing his face in the poor and downtrodden, on taking up our cross to follow him and on being his witnesses until the end of time should be the touchstone on which we evaluate our lives.

St. Paul, in all his letters, exhorts us on the mystery of our new life in Christ. He says, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Roman 6:4). Since we are risen with Christ, we are no longer enslaved to sin but we are alive to God in Christ Jesus. The beautiful words of St. Paul:

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:12-14).

In order to live a life of holiness and grow in it day by day we need to ‘abide’ in the Lord (cf. John 15:1-17). It is matter of our personal and communitarian communion with the Lord which is also our communion in the Holy Trinity. Our Lord Jesus has promised us that the one who abides in him will also bear fruits that abide, and these fruits are the virtues that should make us shine like “lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15) – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control… And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5: 22-24).

In order to evaluate our life in the light of the Gospel and examine ourselves whether we truly walk in the footsteps of the Lord as his faithful disciples, we can focus our attention on three important passages from the letters of St. Paul on the ‘new life in Christ’.

The letter to the Ephesians speaks of the ‘old self’ which we have put off and which belongs to our former manner of life and the ‘new self’ we have put on in Baptism, “the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). He says:

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbour, for we are members of one another…Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil…Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4: 25-32).

In his letter to the Colossians, St. Paul once again refers to the ‘old self’ with all its practices and the ‘new self’ which is the image of our creator himself. He exhorts us to put to death what is ‘earthly’ in us, i.e., “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). The ‘new self’ is compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience and forgiveness. We are called to forgive one another as the Lord has forgiven us. And above all, he says, “put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” (Colossians 3: 12-15).

Another very important teaching is the ‘Way of Love’ so powerfully described in the 1 ^st letter to the Corinthians: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7).

It becomes so evident from the above that the Word of God should be the foundation of our lives. When God’s Word informs our thoughts, words and deeds, then the HOLY EUCHARIST acquires the central place in our life’s journey and the sacramental life becomes meaningful. We realize that all our devotions such as the Rosary and the veneration of the Saints, particularly the tender devotion to Our Blessed Mother, all flow from God’s Word and work towards shaping and moulding us into God’s chosen instruments to bring the newness of life in Christ to the whole world.

The liturgical year will never cease to bring to our consciousness the great truth that in God’s infinite mercy, “we are born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” ( 1 Peter 1: 3-4) , kept in heaven for us, “who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1Peter 1: 5).

So, at the close of the liturgical year, we have to allow our conscience to give us a report card and with trust in God’s merciful love, resolve to be ever WATCHFUL against the wiles of the evil one.

The month of October begins with the feast of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus or the Little Flower as we are accustomed to call her.

What great virtue does she hold be fore us in her littleness? None other than humble and unshakeable confidence in God’s love which is also God’s mercy become incarnate in Jesus Christ – the Eternal Word become flesh for our salvation.

Exactly like St. Pul who could exclaim, “For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15: 9-10) and “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), St. Teresa of the Child Jesus considers herself as the ‘greatest of all sinners’. This ‘littleness’ is for her like an ‘elevator’ that lifts her up into the arms of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. So great was her humility that she sees in herself sins and imperfections galore, but so great was her childlike confidence in the mercy of God in Christ that she is absolutely confident that the Lord will lift her up to the summit of the mountain of love.

This great saint never tires of stressing the infinite mercy of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ our loving Saviour. In other words, she is proclaiming the hope Christ has brought to humanity in his life, death and resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit when he tells his disciples, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:46-48).

However much the modern culture may try to eradicate the sense of sin from our consciousness, our consciences will betray us. In the depth of our being the ‘inner voice’ will never cease to tell us that we have wronged. Yet, the question is, should we be overburdened by feelings of guilt? Should the dark and ugly side of our life make us morose and take away the joy of our life?

Here comes the Gospel of Divine Mercy and what St. Teresa of the Child Jesus has been propagating through the spirituality of the ‘little way’: Let the purifying Sun, the Light of Light, Jesus Christ Our Lord and Saviour change the dust that we are into pure gold. Instead of plunging into the misery of past memories, plunge yourself into the furnace of Divine Love, i.e., the Merciful Heart of Jesus, through a single act of humble confidence. If we believe enough in merciful love, we’ll stop believing too much in our own wretchedness.

“We must have confidence, not in spite of our miseries, but because of them, since it is misery that attracts mercy” [Fr. Jean C.J. D’Elbée, I Believe in Love , Bangalore: ATC Publishers, p. 29].

The Little Flower believed with all her heart that she could repent and throw herself into the arms of Jesus at any time, even if she had on her conscience all the sins that she could commit. She knew that Jesus could never reject the repentant sinner who returns to him. Such was her humble confidence in the provident mercy of the Lord. Shortly before her death she openly declared that she had such confidence in the mercy of God that she considered all the multitude of her sins and offences as a drop of water in the immense ocean of God’s love and mercy.

What the Little Flower assures us of is very clear: the more we see ourselves as weak, wretched and unworthy sinners who have fallen and prone to fall, the more should be our confidence in the mercy of our Divine Saviour, and the more we should run to Him in a childlike trust that never plays us false and never lets us down, because His love is limitless, His mercy is infinite.

Every time we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation the parable of the ‘Prodigal Son’ or the ‘Prodigal Father’ is replayed. This Sacrament always renews our trust and confidence in the mercy of God. It is a profound and ineffable experience of our Saviour who tells us, “Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:48-50).

In the Church and human society, we need to lift up one another to have the courage of the ‘prodigal son’ to return to the Lord in repentance and humble confidence that ‘I will not be rejected’ but will be ‘lovingly accepted’. This ministry within the Church is invaluable and especially in our relationship with the young who are always in need of such encouragement lest they lose their faith.

All who came to Jesus for healing and forgiveness and received salvation showed in their life this quality of humble and unshakeable confidence in the Lord’s power to heal them physically, mentally and spiritually, but we can never forget for instance:

- the centurion who said to Jesus, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Mathew 8:8)

- the Cananite woman who replied to Jesus’ curt response saying, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table” (Mathew 15:27)

- the sinful woman who “brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment” (Luke 7:37-38).

- the woman who touched the fringe of Jesus’ garment with such a remarkable confidence: “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” (Mark 5:28)

- Zaccheus, who said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold” (Luke 19: 8)

- The Good Thief on Calvary, who cried to the Lord in the dying moments of his life, ”Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23: 42).

- Peter, who said to the Risen Lord on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” (John 21: 17).

Whatever be the depth of our sinfulness and misery, our weaknesses and failures, if we look toward Jesus with the look and disposition of the Good Thief we will receive pardon and purification in a moment and the promise of Our Lord, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Jesus needs nothing from us except our humility and our confidence in order to work marvels of purification and sanctification in our lives, and the more we realize our unworthiness the more we will have recourse to Him who is our Resurrection and our Life.

What does Jesus lament most when He is with His disciples? Their lack of confidence . During the episode of the ‘Calming of the Storm’, when the disciples are filled with great anguish and fear that they are going to drown despite the fact that Jesus is present in the boat though sleeping, Jesus calms the storm but gently reprimands His disciples saying, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4: 40).

Even though Jesus looked to be ‘sleeping’, He was there in the boat in the very midst of His disciples, therefore there was no need for them to be terrified. He was watching over them with the utmost tenderness and love.

It is not so much our sins as much as our lack of faith and our doubts that pain Jesus. To quote Fr. D’Elbée:

“But you see, we have lost so completely the notion of the entire confidence that He expects of us, that we sometimes make a prayer of the words for which He reproached His Apostles: ‘Lord, save us; we are perishing!’

This is not how we should pray, but rather, ‘With You, Jesus, I cannot perish; You are always in the boat with me; what have I to fear? You may sleep; I shall not awaken You. My poor nature will tremble, oh yes! But with all my will I shall remain in peace in the midst of the storm, confident in You…

The great tempest is what our sins stir up in our souls. It is there that Jesus must arise in order that a ‘great calm may descend’” (I Believe in Love, p. 41)…

St. Paul is the best model for us of the humble and unshakeable confidence that should mark our life of Christian discipleship when he says:

“I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the foremost” (1 Timothy 1: 12-15).

Like St. Teresa of the Child Jesus let us abandon ourselves into the arms of Jesus remembering what St. John Mary Vianney said: “It is not the sinner who comes back to God to ask His pardon, but God Himself who runs after the sinner and who brings Him back to Himself” [I Believe in Love, p. 80].

In his discourse on the end of the world, Our Lord addresses his disciples in the following words:

“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Mathew 24: 12-14).

We are experiencing so much of lawlessness and communal hatred that is engulfing our beloved motherland and even the world. Christians in particular have become targets of hatred and violence in many parts of our country and in the world; and within the Christian community itself there are divisions and open antagonism towards one another on the basis of rites and denominations.

Is it a sign that ‘our love has grown cold’? Are we facing the ‘end times’?

We don’t know, because the Lord has clearly told his disciples: “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7).

Then what is the message for us from the Lord in these critical times?

We are called to put to the test the authenticity of our discipleship by examining our consciences in the light of the Holy Spirit and pray that we become day by day and more and more credible witnesses of the Gospel at all times and seasons. The Lord is not promising us a comfortable and secure life. On the contrary he says, “they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake” (Mathew 24:9). The persecutions will also give rise to Christians comprising the Gospel for their security as well as betraying one another; moreover, there will be false prophets leading the people astray. What the Lord is asking of us is: ENDURANCE – ‘the one who endures to the end will be saved’. Endurance is the fruit of a personal experience of the Risen Lord and personal communion with him who is Our Lord and Saviour. It is our communion in the Holy Trinity and within the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church – the Body of Christ. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit to every disciple of Christ.

In the recent events of horrendous violence in Manipur and to a lesser degree in Nuh (Haryana), we have witnessed the extent of destruction, suffering, pain and death humans can inflict on one another when their animal instincts are unbridled.

The question is: Is violence the means to settle our differences and resolve our problems? Has it ever been proved in history that humanity can come to an amicable solution through hatred, violence and warfare? NEVER. Violence only leads to more enmity, more hatred, more anger, more division and the perennial desire to seek revenge and respond ‘tit for tat’. It is not without reason that Our Lord said: “For all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Mathew 26:52). The opposite is the path that leads to unity, reconciliation and healing, and this path is of humility, forgiveness, and love as the Gospel of Christ teaches us.

Ahimsa is the cultural heritage of our country as emphasized by Gandhiji. It means love and service of the whole of creation. It means attainment, through complete selflessness and the spirit of service, of a state of equilibrium and perfect harmony in relationship to the universe.

If this is the essence of our culture and its core, our behaviour with one another cannot be based on violence of any kind – whether of thought, word or deed. For Gandhiji, non-violence is primarily freedom from lust, anger, greed, infatuation, pride and falsehood. These are the six deadly ‘enemies’ within us which militate against the virtues of non-anger, non-fear, non-taste, non-hurting, and finally non-killing which is the supreme virtue of ahimsa. It means ‘active love’ which calls for suffering and self-sacrifice. Unless there is the inner transformation of the heart, there cannot be non-violence.

This is what Gandhiji learnt from all religions, and above all from the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as he himself testifies. The ‘Sermon on the Mount’ had a deep influence on him. Why? Because no one who listens to his or her conscience can deny the truth of the teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

In these days when every sensible person in our country is crying for peace in the context of the violence in Manipur and elsewhere, we remember the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ which proclaims the Kingdom of God and calls humanity to humble repentance if unity and love, peace and joy are to be established on this earth.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Mathew 5:9) is the truth Our Lord has clearly proclaimed and for which he died on the Cross. His resurrection on the third day is the victory of the Gospel he taught and lived. Peace was the message the angels announced at his birth and peace was the gift he left for us at his death. To this message of peace is linked his teachings on the primacy of reconciliation, on turning the other cheek, on love of enemies, on being like the Good Samaritan, on washing of the feet, on childlikeness, on seeing the face of God in the poor and downtrodden.

Later on, the Apostles continue the teachings of the Lord:

“Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty but associate with the lowly…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Roman 12:14-21).

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude… So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1Corinthians 13: 4-13).

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing” (1 Peter 3: 8-9).

St. Gregory of Nyssa points to the essential connection between the war within and without: “We too, then should not only be reconciled with those who attack us from without, we should also bring together the warring factions within us, so that the flesh may no longer be opposed to the spirit and the spirit to the flesh…And so, when the civil war in our nature has been brought to an end and we are at peace within ourselves, we may become peace. Then we shall really be true to the name of Christ that we bear” [cf. Office of Readings , Thursday, 19 ^th Wek of the Year].

St. Peter Chrysologus, reflecting on the Beatitude ‘Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the children of God’,states with conviction that the Christian virtues can only come to fruition in the person who preserves the simplicity of Christian peace. Therefore, no one can be called a child of God without first deserving the name of peacemaker.

The source of all love and peace is God himself who plants a well rooted peace in our souls, but the devil, who is the ‘father of lies’, wishes to uproot this peace completely from our souls and plant, in its place, hatred and enmity. But we have to remember, ‘the one who hates her/his brother or sister is a murderer’.

This is how St. Peter Chrsysologus describes the freedom that peace brings:

“It is peace, my dear brethren, which frees a man from slavery, and ennobles him. In God’s eyes his condition as well as his character is changed, for peace makes a son of a servant, and a free man of a slave. Peace in the community is God’s will; it is the sweetness of Christ and the perfection of sanctity. Peace is the rule of justice, the mistress of learning, the guardian of morals; its restraining influence is everywhere to be commended. It is the goal of our prayers, an easy and effective way of making atonement, the complete fulfilment of all our longings. Peace is the mother of love, the bond of friendship, the clearest proof of that innocence which craves satisfaction of God, which seeks fulfilment and has its longing satisfied. Peace must be preserved by precepts which have binding force, for the Lord Jesus Christ has said: ‘I leave you peace, my peace I give you’, that is to say: I parted from you in peace and I will find you in peace; he wanted to leave us with something which he hoped to find in every man’s heart on his return.”

The above description gives us the reason why we must love peace and cherish harmony, for they are the very conditions which produce charity and sustain it. As St. Paul says, ‘Charity comes from God’; consequently, a person without charity is godless…

St. Peter Chrysologus exhorts us thus: “The community should be closely knit in peace. Let us be motivated by mutual love and bind ourselves in bonds of saving charity, which covers a multitude of sins. We should embrace love with every desire of our heart, for it can have as many graces as rewards. We should guard peace before all the virtues, for God is always present in peace.”

[cf. Office of Readings on July 4, optional memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal (1271-1336), who was married to the king of Portugal and, on the death of her husband, gave her worldly goods to the poor and took the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis. She is known for the reconciliation she effected between her son and son-in-law].

In the Evening Prayer of Sunday Week 4 we pray for peace in these words: “Your people have known the ravages of war and hatred: - grant that they may know the peace left by your Son”.

With childlike confidence in God’s mercy towards us, let us entrust our beloved motherland to the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the Queen of Peace, as we celebrate the feast of her Nativity on September 8 and have already celebrated her glorious Assumption which always coincides providentially with the anniversary of India’s Independence.

The above is the theme of the 2023 World Youth Day (WYD) scheduled to take place in Lisbon (Portugal) from August 1-6, 2023; but a week prior to that the thousands of Catholic Youth from all over the world who will arrive in Portugal will be hosted by Portuguese families in their homes for cultural exchange as is the usual practice with all World Youth Days. They will have a chance to stay with at least two families, if not more. The star event of the gathering will undoubtedly be the presence of Pope Francis amidst the young people. Of course, the young people will be accompanied by their pastors and animators, among them very many Bishops from all over the world.

The theme is connected with the one of the previous WYD held in Panama City in 2019, “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”(Luke 1:38).

What is the significance of placing Mary, our Blessed Mother at the centre for this mammoth gathering of the youth?

Our Blessed Mother is the epitome of a prompt ‘yes’ to God’s will in all humility. In her ‘Magnificat’ she calls herself God’s ‘handmaid’ which means a ‘servant’ who is ever ready to be at the beck and call of the master; yet she does not hesitate from declaring that “all generations will call me blessed”. It is not a boasting but a humble admission of the goodness and greatness of God, who has done “great things” for her. Her life’s journey of many hardships, uncertainties, sorrows and pains but also joy in the Holy Spirit, which she traversed in her proverbial ‘silence’ is her testimony to her fidelity to God’s will. She could have definitely chosen for herself a more comfortable life by running away from these challenges that came from God but she did not; therefore, we see her at the foot of the Cross on the hill of Calvary facing with courage the ignominious death of her Son and uttering her ‘yes’ to God with his ‘yes’ to his Father’s will – such a marvellous culmination of her fiat spoken thirty-three years earlier.

This was of course not the end of God’s design; Jesus would rise again on the third day victorious over sin, the devil and death itself, and in this victory Mary would have a full share because of her fidelity to God’s will. We celebrate on August 15 her ‘Assumption’ into heaven, body and soul, whereby the Church openly professes that God has fulfilled in her what he declared to her through Archangel Gabriel, “Greetings, O highly favoured one, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). She is truly the most highly favoured one of God and indeed all generations henceforth have called her ‘blessed’.

The current theme, “Mary arose and went with haste” (Luke 1:39) points to the Spirit-filled personality of Mary that made her to forget her own needs and decide to rush to the aid of her cousin Elizabeth who, as revealed by Archangel Gabriel, was already in the sixth month of her pregnancy in her advanced age.

Here I would like to quote three paragraphs from Breath of the Spirit (New York: Orbis Books, 1978) by the late Fr. Samuel Rayan, SJ, of happy memory (once upon a time professor at Vidyajyoti, Delhi). These are very relevant to the theme:

“In Mary’s life there was prompt concern for others… It was soon as soon as the angel left her after her own announcement that she showed this concern for her cousin. If Mary had been trained in the piety of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when she experienced this invasion of the divine into her being and her life, she would probably have shut herself up and given herself wholly to contemplation. But the New Testament tells us that when the angel departed, Mary was concerned, for a woman far away was with child and might have need for her help. Even if she does not need me, Mary thinks, I can greet her and congratulate her.

Here again we note that the authenticity of the presence of the Holy Spirit is discovered in relationships, in outgoing concern, rather than in concentration on one’s personal holiness. God is not primarily interested in the self-centered holiness of any person. He is interested in the human reality as a whole and the quality of its existence, and that depends upon the quality of our relationships within the community. It is only thus that the human community can become an adequate and beautiful reflection of what God himself is, a community of love where the centre is not self but the other. The centre of the Father’s life is the Son, and the centre of the Spirit is the Son and the Father.

Pro-existence, living for the other, is the index of authenticity. Therefore, Mary goes to one in need of her aid, in need of her presence, in need of encouragement, in need of someone with whom to share a secret and a joy. It is to this sort of concern that the Spirit impels” (pp. 25-26).

What is the invitation to young people from this word of God so powerfully placed before them?

Like Mary, they are called to be Spirit-filled people, running the extra mile, despite all odds, to bring God’s love, joy and peace to others, especially the deprived, the afflicted, the needy, the marginalized and the down and out. Just as Mary did not settle down in her comfort zone, they too should rise and act in order to make things happen for the good of our beloved planet earth which is the common home for the whole of humankind and all God’s creation.

Mary calls and inspires all young people to be builders of God’s kingdom and not to leave the fate of the world in other people’s hands. As St. Paul admonishes: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding” (Romans: 14: 17-19).

The official Logo of the WYD 2023 inspired by the theme “Mary arose and went with haste” has got the Cross as the main element. This is crossed by a path where the Holy Spirit arises. The Crossis the sign of the infinite love of God for humankind. It is the source from which everything else in the Christian faith emerges. The path signifies the passage of the Visitation which is the theme of the WYD 2023. It reveals to us Mary’s readiness to live according to God’s will and her availability to serve Elizabeth. This movement underlines the invitation to the young people given by Pope Francis in 2019: “If you have lost your inner vitality, your dreams, your enthusiasm, your optimism and your generosity, Jesus stands before you as once he stood before the dead son of the widow, and with all the power of his resurrection he urges you: ‘Young man, I say to you, arise’ (Lk. 7:14)” (Christus Vivit, 20). Next to the path is a shape that evokes the Holy Spirit. The choice of the Rosarycelebrates the spirituality of the Portuguese people in their devotion to Our Lady of Fátima. This is placed on the path to recall the pilgrimage experience which is so remarkable in Portugal. Finally, Mary is depicted as a young girl to represent the figure of the Gospel (Luke 1:39) and to enable a greater identification with the youth. The drawing expresses the juvenility of her age, a characteristic of someone who was not a mother yet, but who is carrying the light of the world inside her. This figure has a slight inclination, to show the compelled attitude of the Virgin Mary.

The Logo very beautifully encapsulates the message of Evangelization to which we are called in baptism and which Mary embodies in the Visitation:

Firstly, Mary’s visit to Elizabeth is symbolic of her desire to share the Good News of Christ with someone else. She didn’t passively hide away in her home, nor shy away from sharing the news of her pregnancy with her family. No, she chose to sharethis Good News of Jesus in her womb, no matter how implausible or unbelievable the story might have seemed. This is the first act in evangelization – to simply share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Secondly, there was an urgency in Mary’s desire to share the Good News. She didn’t go with a leisurely or relaxed pace but she eagerly went with conviction. In short, she couldn’t wait to share the Good News with her family and others.

The Official Prayer of WYD 2023 beautifully captures the message of Evangelization for young people:

Our Lady of the Visitation,

you who left in haste towards the mountain to meet Elizabeth,

lead us also to meet all those who await us

to deliver them the living Gospel:

Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord!

We will go in a hurry, with no distraction or delay,

but with readiness and joy.

We will go peacefully, because those who take Christ take peace,

and welldoing is the best wellbeing.

Our Lady of the Visitation,

with your inspiration, this World Youth Day

will be the mutual celebration of the Christ we take, as You once did.

Make it a time of testimony and sharing,

fraternization, and giving thanks,

each of us looking for the others who always wait.

With you, we will continue on this path of gathering,

so that our world will gather as well,

in fraternity, justice and peace.

Help us,

Our Lady of the Visitation,

To bring Christ to everyone, obeying the Father, in the love of the Spirit!

“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid” (Mark 6: 50) are the familiar words of Our Lord in the Gospels. While calming the storm, he asks his disciples, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” (Mathew 8: 26).

To be afraid when we are faced with danger or uncertainty of any sort is natural to our life. Fear is an emotion that is inbuilt in us for our self-defence and self-preservation; but fear is not and should never be the last word. The last word is COURAGE that enables us to overcome fear and defeat the danger by trusting in God alone and not in our own strength – and courage or fortitude is one of the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is one who faced his fear head on and won for us the victory of the resurrection and new life. In his resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the frightened disciples were transformed into courageous witnesses of the Good News. Thereafter, in the history of the Church, countless martyrs have given witness of their courage to die for Christ under unimaginable tortures rather than compromise their faith. The famous saying of Tertullian that ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church’ is absolutely true.

In the context of the anti-Christian attitudes, we are facing in many quarters of our own country and in many parts of the world, should we be afraid? Certainly, we should not, because we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us. The terrible events of the destruction of nearly 300 churches of various denominations in Manipur recently would have definitely put us in a state of fear of the forces that have caused this violence and arson. We have also experienced in our own Archdiocese itself certain goons stopping the celebration of the Holy Mass and worship in two of our new parishes in Haryana in early June. These are God’s ways to purify and strengthen our faith and trust in him and enable us to be more zealous and faithful Christians who are united in the one Body of Christ for his kingdom.

Christ has not promised his disciples the security and comfort of a worldly kingdom but the joy, bliss and security of God’s Kingdom where our treasure is eternal life. The value system of God’s kingdom militates against the value system of the world with all its glamour and glory. It was not without reason that Our Lord shunned the temptations to pleasures, power and popularity dangled before him by the devil during his forty days and forty nights of prayer and fasting in the desert. His ministry was centered entirely on proclaiming the fullness of life of God’s Kingdom.

Our Lord had also to pay the price of standing for God’s Kingdom – fierce opposition and hatred from the religio-political authorities, false accusations and finally crucifixion and death on the cross. This, however, was the treatment meted out to him by the powerful and it is one side of the story. The other side of the story is the tremendous love and acceptance Jesus received from the powerless people, the poor and marginalized of the society – they followed him in their thousands and received from him healing of body, mind and spirit and the touch of God’s love that made all the difference in their lives.

The Gospel of Mathew presents a beautiful summary of the ministry of Jesus:

“And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and very affliction mong the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan” (Mathew 4:23-25).

This is the mission Christ entrusted to his Apostles to carry out in his name, initially “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” and, after his resurrection and the Pentecost, to “all nations”; and this is his promise: “AND BEHOLD I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, TO THE END OF THE AGE.” (Mathew 28:20). The Church has no other security except this promise of the Risen Lord to be with us until the end of the age. This experience of the Risen Lord’s presence with us in the power of his Holy Spirit is the cause of our joy and peace and the motive force of our love. This is abundantly attested to by the New Testament.

Our Lord doesn’t say the mission he has entrusted to his Church will be easy, on the contrary he predicts persecutions: “Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.” (Mathew 10:17-18).

Can’t we firmly state that tribulations, hatred and even death are inseparable from the life and mission of the Church from the beginning? Certainly yes, and this is because the Master himself has faced it first, and the “disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Mathew 10: 24).

Very specially, Our Lord refers to persecutions as a sign of the ‘end of the age’, but the end of the age will not happen before the gospel of the kingdom is “proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations” (Mathew 24: 14).

It is a fact: the more the Church is persecuted, the more she grows. The enemies can break the church buildings but not the spirit of the People of God. As St Paul affirms: ”Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead … as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!” (2 Timothy 2:8-9).

So, what is the place of tribulations in the life and mission of the Church? Should we be dismayed, demoralised, discouraged and afraid because we are persecuted, harassed, hated and discriminated against? NEVER.

The Lord assures us: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Mathew 5:11-12).

Let us remember the parable of the talents (cf. Mathew 25: 14-30) – the servant who had received the one talent tells the master: “… so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But the master doesn’t praise him, rather calls him “You wicked and slothful servant”; and orders the “worthless servant” to be cast “into the outer darkness” where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

As disciples we are called to be like those servants to whom the master said: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master”. Courage made these servants ‘productive’ and ’successful’ in life even from a secular perspective whereas fear made the slothful servant ‘unproductive’ and ‘unsuccessful’.

This parable, when applied to our spiritual life of faith, will tell us that our faith will not bear any fruit if we succumb to fear; we will be like the dry branches that are only worth being chopped off and thrown into the fire (cf. John 15: 6). However, courage springing from our communion in the Holy Trinity, will enable us to bear much fruit for God’s Kingdom.

Our Master and Lord Jesus Christ was certainly afraid when he faced his Passion. He tells his disciples, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me” (Mathew 26:38). In the depth of his tribulation and fear he prays to the Father, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done” (Mathew 26: 42); but in his agony, when his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground, an angel comes from heaven to strengthen him (cf. Luke 22: 43-44). With that strength he says ‘yes’ to the Father’s will and moves on ahead to face the most inhuman and ignominious death of the Cross for the salvation of the world.

When we know and profess that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life all our fear vanishes and we hear him constantly whispering into our hearts, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14: 1-4).

All the words of Our Lord are about relationship with him, a relationship that is the source of our peace and joy and victory over the world: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulations. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16: 33).

It is very clear that the Lord does not promise us a life free of troubles, difficulties, sufferings and tribulations, but what he promises us is COURAGE to face the tribulations and remain steadfast in our faith in him and in the hope of his Kingdom to come. He gives us the power of his Spirit ‘to overcome the world’ and not to succumb to it.

A useful quote from St. Cyprian in his discourse on the Lord’s Prayer and specially as it refers to the fulfilling of God’s will (Office of Readings, Wednesday, 11 ^th Week of the Year):

“It was the will of God then, that Christ both did and taught. It means humility in conduct, steadfastness in faith, modesty in speech, justice in actions, mercy in deeds, discipline in morals; it is being incapable of doing wrong to anyone and to bear patiently wrong done to us, to keep peace with the brethren, to love God with one’s whole heart, to love him because he is the Father, to fear him because he is God. It means preferring nothing to Christ as he preferred nothing to us; it means holding fast to his love and being inseparable from it, standing by his cross bravely and fearlessly when his name and honour are challenged, showing in speech that firmness with which we profess our faith, showing under torture the confidence with which we do battle, showing in death the patience by which we are crowned. This is what it means to wish to be a co-heir with Christ, to accomplish the command given by God, to fulfil the will of the Father.”

Every year the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday in the octave following the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi). This year it falls on June 16. For us in the Archdiocese of Delhi this is the principal feast because our Cathedral is dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

As we enter our Cathedral compound the words that greet us first are those high on the façade of the Cathedral: SACARATISSIMO CORDI JESU , which mean ‘To the Most Sacred Heat of Jesus’. Our forefathers put these words there because the heart of Jesus is the symbol and fount of God’s infinite love and mercy towards sinful humanity – a truth that can never be denied and which calls everyone to drink at the wellsprings of love which is the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

What is the origin of the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, so widespread in the Catholic Church? Its origin is in our Christian faith itself which we receive as a gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of our Baptism. Our Baptism calls us to a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ who loved us and loved us unto the end (cf. John 13:1).

The infinite love and mercy of God manifested in the paschal mystery of Christ are central themes in our Christian faith, but the widespread devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus happens in the 17 ^th century followed by the institution of the feast. It was a time of Christian revival and the emergence of a movement in the Lutheran Church that has been termed ‘Pietism’. The pietistic movement stressed a personal experience of Christ and a personal relationship with the Lord based on the Bible as against impersonal intellectualism as well as ignorance of the Bible and shallowness of faith. This movement quickly influenced all of Protestantism and is also considered as one of the most important causes for various Christian denominations to come together in the ‘ecumenical movement’ for the unity of all Christians.

There is no doubt that the Catholic Church, after the 16 ^th century Protestant Reformation, was in need of revival of the Christian faith in terms of a personal experience of salvation in Christ and a holiness of life based on the Bible. It was at this time that the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus emerges at the centre stage and its popularity is attributed to the apparitions of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the mystic nun Margaret Mary Alacoque (now a canonised saint) of the Visitation Order at Paray-le-Monial in France in the 17 ^th century.

Margaret Mary Alacoque was a very devout young girl who began to practise austerity and penance from the age of nine after her First Holy Communion. Although she had made a vow to the Blessed Virgin Mary to consecrate herself to religious life after she was miraculously cured of rheumatic fever, she was never really serious about that vow and went about socializing in view of getting a suitable husband and settling down in life. However, one night, after returning from a ball for Carnival dressed in her finery, she experienced a vision of Christ, scourged and bloody. He reproached her for her forgetfulness of him; yet he also reassured her by demonstrating that his heart was filled with love for her, because of the childhood promise she had made to his Blessed Mother. As a result, she determined to fulfil her vow and entered the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial on 25 May 1671 when she was only 24 years of age. In the convent she had to undergo many trials in order to prove the genuineness of her vocation, and finally was admitted to profession on 6 November 1672. She has been described as a humble, simple, frank, and above all patient in her relationship with others in the community.

In the monastery Margaret received several private revelations of Our Lord, the first one being on 27 December 1673 and the final one 18 months later. Our Lord revealed to her his Sacred Heart burning with love for humanity and asked her to popularize the devotion to his Sacred Heart the form of which would be a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament every Thursday night to remember his Passion and Death and participating in the Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion every first Friday of the month. Jesus disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all humankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness to very human person, and that he had chosen her for this mission.

She writes in her short work, La Devotion au Sacr é-Coeur de Jesus (The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus):

“And He [Christ] showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men (sic) and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin that made Him want to manifest His Heart to me, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure Him all the honour and love possible might themselves be abundantly enriched with those divine treasures of which His heart is the source.”

It was only in 1683 that Margaret’s superiors and ecclesiastical authorities were finally convinced of the authenticity of the visions - a decade after she received them. Margaret died on 17 October 1690. She was beatified by Pope Leo XII in 1864 and canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. Her feast is celebrated on 16 October.

In his encyclical letter Miserentissimus Redemptor(1928), Pope Pius XI affirmed the Catholic Church’s position regarding the credibility of the visions received by Margaret Mary Alacoque. The Holy Father affirms that Jesus “manifested Himself” to Maragaret Mary Alacoque and “promised her that all those who rendered this honour to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces”.

Why is the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus coupled with the devotion to Divine Mercy so dear to us?

It is dear to us because the symbol of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus speaks to us both of our unworthiness before God which makes us humble, as well of the infinite love and mercv of God in Jesus Christ our Saviour which makes us joyful. It calls us to repent for our sins and plunge into the ocean of mercy symbolized by the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This mercy of God forgives us all our sins and wipes away all our guilt. When we behold the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we know we are loved and affirmed by God as we are and we need not be burdened by our past and the baggage we carry in our life. Christ has taken that baggage upon himself and given us freedom. If that is so, we can also relate to others from the Heart of Christ .

Throughout his ministry Christ our Lord went about proclaiming this Good News of God’s Kingdom, calling everyone to come back to God our Father with childlike trust and receive through his Son “grace upon grace” (John 1:16). Gazing at the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus we walk with him once again in his life and ministry. We hear his words of truth, receive his healing and forgiving touch, experience his compassion, become enveloped in his love, follow him in discipleship, accompany him in joy on the way of the cross, stand with him on Calvary and of course encounter him as our Risen Lord in the Breaking of the Bread. He pours his Spirit on us and sends us to the ends of the earth as witnesses of his Love until he comes again.

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is nothing else but the Gospel itself. The devotion is entirely evangelical from all points of view as it draws us into the mystery of personal relationship with Jesus Christ our loving Lord and Saviour who tells Margaret Mary Alacoque: “Behold the heart which has so loved men(sic)that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love; and in return, I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrilege, and by the coldness and contempt they have for me in this sacrament of love.”

There is another historical context as to why the Lord appeared to Margaret Mary Alacoque and specifically requested her to popularize the devotion to his Most Sacred Heart in the Church and have a ‘feast’ instituted for the same.

A theological theory popularised by the theologian Cornelius Otto Jansen (1585-1638) and called ‘Jansenism’ had suddenly become vogue in the Catholic Church. It down-played human freedom and emphasized the supremacy of God’s will and the efficaciousness of God’s grace to such an extent that it spoke of God’s predestination of some for heaven and others for hell, irrespective of merits. Jansenist theology argued that God gives some people the graces necessary for salvation and withholds them from others. The result of this idea would be that some people are going to hell, and there’s literally nothing they can do about it. They are not saved – not because they refuse God’s offer of grace – but simply because God doesn’t want to save them. This theory was leaning towards some tenets of the theology propagated by the Protestant Reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin during the 16 ^th century Protestant Reformation.

Jansenism refused absolution to penitents who demonstrated ‘imperfect contrition’ (i.e., avoiding sin out of ‘fear of hell’ and not ‘true love of God’) and warned such penitents against receiving Holy Communion to avoid scandal of ‘unworthy reception’. In short, Jansenism portrayed God as a severe and implacable judge who punishes, therefore to be feared rather than a loving father who welcomes and forgives the sinner, therefore to be loved.

Jansenism was condemned as a heresyby Pope Innocent X in 1653 and in 1856 Pope Pius IX instituted the Feast (now ‘solemnity’) of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday after Corpus Christi. Pope Pius XI in the above-mentioned encyclical says: “the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was instituted at a time when men were oppressed by the sad and gloomy severity of Jansenism, which had made their hearts grow cold, and shut them out from the love of God and the hope of salvation”.

Let us pray: O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with Infinite Love; broken by our ingratitude and pierced by our sins; yet loving us still; accept the consecration we make to Thee of all that we are and all that we have. Take every faculty of our souls and bodies, only day by day draw us nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart; and there as we shall hear the lesson, teach us Thy Holy Way.

LOCKED DOORS CANNOT STOP JESUS

We are familiar with the beautiful hymn:

MY HEART’S LIKE A FLUTE

My heart’s like a flute and I want to play all day,

Jesus Christ is my music master,

Deep from my heart flows a simple melody:

Great is his love, love without end!

1. Once I met the Lord on the way:

Deep was his gaze, kind was his smile,

True were his words, gentle his touch,

He brought me peace and freedom.

2. He’s my shepherd, He is my guide,

Dark be the night, Christ is my light,

Nothing I fear, Jesus is near:

He leads me to the Kingdom.

3. T’wards the land of promise we walk,

There to find peace, there to find joy,

There to find love: God has prepared

A banquet for his people.

The Resurrection of our Lord and the Pentecost are the basis of our faith and the foundation on which the Church stands. The Spirit who descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost is the Spirit of the Risen Lord; therefore, to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be a partaker of the Lord’s Resurrections and vice-versa. This is testified by the New Testament.

In his Resurrection Jesus came out of the tomb despite the fact that the tomb was still closed. The heavy stone on the mouth of the tomb was rolled back by the angel not for Jesus to come out but for the women to go in and confirm for themselves that Jesus had truly risen from the dead (cf. Mathew 28: 1-7). After that confirmation and the encounter with the angel there is no more fear in them and nor more sadness – they are fearless and joyful – and behold they meet the Risen Lord himself who tells them to proceed to Galilee where he will meet them and empower them to be his witnesses.

The power of the Resurrection is such that the heavy stone-lid of the tomb, the closed doors of the room and the very laws of nature themselves cannot stop the Risen Lord from being the one name alone in which the fullness of life and salvation is found (cf. Acts 4: 12); he is the stone rejected by the builders but which has become the corner stone (cf. Acts 4:11), the Good Shepherd slain for his sheep and risen again to unite his flock.

On the very day of the Resurrection Our Lord stands in the midst of the frightened disciples when the doors are locked and imparts to them his peace and the gift of the Holy Spirit to forgive sins. Through the forgiveness of sins in his name they will recreate humanity in that holiness which God had designed for humanity from the beginning of creation, i.e., to be his own image (cf. Genesis: ) but which was lost through the disobedience of our first parents. .

All the experiences of the Resurrection so powerfully depict that the Risen Lord pierces through our doubts, our poor self-worth, our sordid past, our painful memories, our fears, our discouragement, our sadness, our diffidence, our selfishness, our broken relationships and our loneliness. He comes into our life just when all these negativities begin to overpower us.

Let us look at the wonder of the Resurrection:

- the doubting Thomas begins to believe (cf. John 20:24-29);

- the frightened disciples shed their fear when the Risen Lord stands among them while the doors are closed (cf. 20:19-23);

- they become messengers of forgiveness in the power of the Spirit;

- Mary Magdalene from whom the Lord had cast out seven demons (cf. Mark 16:9) becomes the Lord’s joyful messenger;

- the two disciples travelling to Emmaus receive enlightenment and the inner warmth of love (cf. Luke 24:30-35);

- Jesus joins the disciples’ rhythm of life and even makes breakfast for them (cf. John 21: 9-14);

- He s seen, heard, touched, known not by all but by the disciples only who believe;

- Jesus never questions Peter about the denial but only asks from him three-fold confession of love (cf. John 21:13-19);

- the unstable and unreliable Peter becomes the rock on which the Church is built (cf. Mathew 16:13-20);

- the entire early community of disciples with Mary the Mother of Jesus are knit together as Christ’s body awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Act 1:12-14);

- the early Christian community overcomes its innate selfishness and individualism and begins to hold everything in common being of one heart and soul so much so that there is not a single needy person among them (cf. Acts 2: 42-47 & 4: 32-37;

- with great power the apostles testify to the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus and a great grace was upon them all;

- they devoted themselves to prayer in the temple and to the breaking of bread at home;

- and the Lord to their number day y day because of their love for one another.

When we look at the Resurrection accounts we can certainly say the Risen Lord enters our lives in the same manner he entered the house where the disciples had huddled together in fear, proving himself to be their Saviour and their living hope. As Alistair Begg affirms: “No matter where we are or what we have done, Christ can enter our lives - our sadness, our darkness, our fear, our doubts – and make himself seen and known, declaring , ‘Peace be with you’ … Jesus can get past locked doors; He can get through to hardened hearts. Through His death and resurrection, He was able to bridge the gap that sin had opened between rebellious humanity and a righteous God. We must receive the salvation He freely offers. It must be fresh in our minds each day.” (Truth for Life: 365 Daily Devotions, UK: The Good Book Company, 2021, p. 101).

The question is: Do we want to enjoy the peace and freedom that Christ wants to impart to us or remain submerged in our own gloom and sadness, a pessimistic mindset about oneself, others and society and a negative attitude colouring our vision? Hasn’t Christ our Lord taken us out of this ‘grave’ through his Resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? As long as our attention is only on ourselves and the centre is ‘I’, we will remain in our old slavery; but when we focus our attention on ‘Christ’ we will experience the joy, peace and freedom he wants to bestow on us because he loves us more than we love ourselves.

We look at the way Stephen, the first martyr, forgave his murderers when he, “full of the Holy Spirt, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7: 55), and with that vision of heaven and the Risen Lord in his glory, he could surrender his spirit into the hands of his Saviour and utter in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).

Later on, we witness how Saul became Paul after his encounter with the Risen Lord and his entire spiritual paradigm changed: he realized that the Jews and Gentiles are no more inimical to each other but have become one body in Christ: “For he himself is our peace., who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in the one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who are near” (Ephesians 2:14-17).

Jesus offers us his redemptive embrace at every moment of our lives. This, then, should be our constant reflection:

“ Have you received Jesus unconditionally and unreservedly? Do you embrace Him daily? Do you rehearse His gospel to yourself each morning? To trust in this way means we give ourselves to God in service. We submit ourselves to His lordship as our Savior. We take God’s promises to heart, and we take the salvation He freely offers. With this belief, you will see that He stands beside you, offering you an eternal, intimate peace that triumphs over and transforms your sadness, your darkness, your fear, your doubts. Hear the risen Christ say to you, ‘Peace be with you. ’ ” (Truth for Life, 101).

The death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ has endowed those who believe in him with a new power – the power to conquer hatred with love, vengeance with forgiveness, pride with humility, selfishness with selflessness, exclusiveness with inclusiveness, division with unity, sadness with joy, despair with hope, and death itself with life. This great mystery of ‘newness’ is so beautifully encapsulated in the hymn of St. Francis of Assisi ‘Lord Make Me A Channel of Your Peace’. It shows how ‘worldly wisdom has been conquered by ‘divine wisdom’.

At his conversion from being an enemy of the Church to being the ‘chosen vessel’ to proclaim the Good News, St. Paul was inducted into this ineffable mystery of ‘new life in Christ’ whereby he moved from the ‘righteousness of the law’ to the righteousness that comes from the infinite love and mercy of God in Jesus Christ; and he never ceased to proclaim this mystery until his martyrdom in Rome around 64 A.D. in the persecution unleashed by emperor Nero.

In his letter to the Philippians (cf. Philippians 3), he testifies to his faith in Christ whereby he has considered everything that this world could give him as “loss” and mere “rubbish” in comparison to the “surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord” and “gain Christ and be found in him”. All his intense longing and desire henceforth is: “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead”. From now on this is his only goal in life, and should be of all Christ’s disciples; and so he says: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”. This ‘straining forward toward the goal’ should be the defining mark of a Christian’s life.

‘Power’ and ‘authority’ are God-given gifts imbedded in our human nature. When used with sensitivity of conscience and the responsibility that flows from the openness to the Holy Spirit who works in the hearts of all people of goodwill, these gifts will ensure the good of all and the welfare of human society towards justice, peace, harmony and freedom. The self-sacrificing love which Christ has taught will be the basis of such ‘power’ and ‘authority’. This is what we call our openness to God’s grace – the ‘grace upon grace’ we have all received from the fullness of Christ (cf. Jn. 1:16) and which none can contest. If, however, these gifts are abused for whatever reason, we will be signalling a disturbing situation where hatred and disharmony, suffering and distress, pain and dejection abound. This can happen in the families, in the church and society at all levels. Human history is witness to such terrible abuses of power at the micro and macro levels.

St. Paul, knowing full well that virtue begins from the family, exhorts the Ephesian community and the Church of the future that family life should be patterned on the relationship of Christ to the Church so that there should never ever be space for abuse of power despite the fact that relationships within the family are based on ‘submission’. If Christ is truly the centre, the source and the summit of conjugal life, the submission between husband and wife will be mutual and life-giving originating from love and ending in love. The wife will submit herself to the husband out of love and the husband will love his wife as his own body. So also, parents will never provoke their children to anger but will bring them up in discipline and the instruction of the Lord. In turn the children will obey their parents and honour them because they see them in the place of God himself (cf. Eph. 5: 22- 6:4).

The paradigm of ‘power’ and ‘authority’ our Lord has given to us is so different from what we are familiar with – domination, control, suppression, oppression, violence and the like, all allied to the human ’ego’ broken by sin. This is the state of ‘sin’ we have inherited from the disobedience of our first parents (cf. Genesis 3); but Christ has redeemed us from the clutches of ‘sin’, of the evil one, and of death itself through his suffering, death, resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit . So, in Christ we have become ‘free’ people who act not from the impulses of our broken human nature but from the power of the Holy Spirit in us, which we call the life of grace (cf. Galatians 5).

Jesus was born in material powerlessness according to human standards, yet he was very ‘powerful’ from the divine point of view. This we see right from the time he was a boy of twelve and lost in the temple (cf. Luke 2:41-52) – the same temple which he would later on ‘cleanse’ before his death (cf. Mathew 21:12-17) and which would clamour for his annihilation. He was “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers” (Luke 2:46).

From where came the ‘power’ that characterized the life and ministry of Jesus? His baptism gives us the answer: his power originated from his being “full of the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:1) because he is the Father’s “beloved Son” in whom the Father is “well pleased” (Mathew 3:17); and we have to “LISTEN TO HIM” (Mathew 17:5). Do we really listen to him is the question we have to ask ourselves all the time.

The devil knew the ‘power’ in Jesus, hence the attempt to tempt him in the desert by quoting Scriptures when Jesus is fasting and praying for forty days and nights - precisely at that moment when, humanly speaking, his defences could be down due to physical exhaustion.

One of the temptations by which the devil is trying to trap Jesus in the desert is the temptation to power (besides pleasure and popularity): “And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and the glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ And Jesus answered him, It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ “(Lk. 4:5-7).

The word of God is so clear in its message - to crave for such kind of worldly power is to worship the devil, “a liar and the father of lies”(John 8:44), and unfortunately this is one of the most fundamental temptations of humanity. Human insecurity makes us crave for such kind of power and authority centered on human glory; but Jesus would have none of it. He had only one paramount craving in his life: to do his Father’s will and seek his glory alone.

What did ‘power’ mean for Jesus? It meant, right from the beginning of his public life, his ministry to the sick, the lepers, the possessed, the blind, the deaf, the lame, the marginalised, the sinners and the down and out (cf. Mathew 11:2-6). Through his word and actions Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God which called for repentance and new life; it was the defeat of the kingdom of the evil one (cf. Mathew 12:22-32). It was not without reason that people remarked about him, that he “taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Mark 1:22). This was a ministry of love, indeed of God’s infinite love for sinful humanity – “for God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It was a ‘prophetic’ ministry that spoke truth to power without compromising his convictions and with readiness to face the consequences – and the consequences were his ignominious death on the cross, about which he had a premonition all through his ministry as the Gospels tell us.

The Gospel speaks of Jesus giving ‘power’ and ‘authority’ to his disciples. What is this ‘power’ and ‘authority’ that the Lord has given to his disciples? It is the power and authority “over all demons and to cure diseases” (Lk. 9:1); and he sent them out “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (Lk. 9: 2). This power and authority become effective in self-denial and self-renunciation, not in self-fulfilment and self-aggrandisement.

Before the Pentecost our Lord tells his disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The power and authority given by Christ to his disciples is to be witnesses of his suffering, death and resurrection whereby he has saved us from eternal damnation. He told the two disciples on the way to Emmaus: : “You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Lk. 24:45-49).

The ‘power from on high’ makes us ‘witnesses’ of Jesus Christ our Lord and his Gospel. In our witness, the ‘Great Commission’ to baptize and make disciples of all nations (cf. Mathew 28: 16-20) always goes together with the ‘New Commandment’ (c. John 13: 31-35) to love one another as Christ has loved us.

At his trial before Pilate, Jesus is a figure of utter powerlessness before the forces of evil and death. When Pilate refers to the ‘authority’ he possesses to release him or to crucify him, Jesus tells him the naked truth, that is, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given from above” (John 19:11); in other words, all authority comes from God and it has to be used as God wills it and not as our sinful selves dictate.

What a paradox Jesus places before us in his passion and death! In order to be truly ‘powerful’ in the eyes of God, one has to completely shed all cravings to earthly power and its glory and empty oneself out of all such pretensions; one has to humble oneself and become a servant in order to be exalted by God alone according to his own will and plan. It is a difficult proposition in the eyes of the world, but the true one in the eyes of God for which he alone gives us the grace and makes it possible.

We are in Eastertide which will culminate with Pentecost. The Resurrection of our Lord and the coming of the Holy Spirit are mysteries of our faith that cannot be separated from each other: to share in the Lord’s Resurrection is to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and vice-versa. On the very day of his rising from the dead Our Lord breathed the Holy Spirit into his frightened disciples giving them the authority to forgive sins of any (cf. Jn. 20:22-23), which in reality means proclaiming the message of God’s love in Christ to the whole of humanity.

May the resurrection empower us in the Spirit to faithfully witness to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Christian life is a call to solitude, not loneliness. Our Lord Jesus is the epitome of solitude for us and he gives us this message powerfully during the season of Lent. Along with Jesus is Mary his (and our) blessed Mother, St. Joseph, her blessed spouse and all the saints.

Only in solitude can we enter into communion with the indwelling Holy Trinity whose temples we have become in baptism. In solitude we receive the gift of discernment about the will of God for us and the inner light of the Holy Spirit that is so necessary to guide our every thought, word, desire and deed in the way of the Gospel; God gives us the grace to examine our lives and return to him through repentance, so that we can walk on the path of salvation and gain eternal life. We need solitude to awaken ourselves to the gifts of the Holy Spirit – wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, fear of God , and bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

There is a beautiful hymn for the Office of Readings of Sunday, Week 3:

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,

Naught be all else to me, save that thou art;

Thou my best thought in the day and the night,

Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,

I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, and I thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Riches I need not, nor man’s empty praise,

Thou mine inheritance through all my days;

Thou, and thou only the first in my heart,

High King of heaven, my treasure thou art!

High King of heaven, thou heaven’s bright sun,

Grant me its joys after vict’ry is won;

Christ of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

It speaks to us of the solitude that should exemplify the Christian way of life – the ‘mystical union’ which is not a privilege of those who live in monasteries but of every disciple of Christ in the daily context of one’s life in the world, and at every moment.

Solitude is based on ‘inner’ silence and aloneness whereby the ‘noise’ outside doesn’t affect us because there is peace and harmony ‘inside’ us. This state of ‘inner peace’ is what solitude signifies, and it has to be the mark of Christian discipleship. It leads us to build loving relationships, engage in selfless service, be ready to forgive and forget, overcome prejudices, break down walls of separation, uphold the dignity of all especially the weak and vulnerable, care for God’s creation, and spread everywhere God’s peace, love and joy. Once I know my worth as a child of God and precious in his eyes, I will endeavour to affirm the worth of the other irrespective of caste, creed, language, ethnicity, etc. We see therefore how solitude differs from loneliness which has narcissistic and self-centric undertones, whereas solitude signifies self-transcendence. In loneliness we seek attention from others, in solitude we give attention to others.

However, loneliness does strike us at some time or the other in our lives due to life’s many painful experiences from childhood on. Some say loneliness is the malaise of our times, particularly as it affects young people, because of the increasingly busy, consumerist and techno-savvy world in which we live.

There is no doubt, a temporary phase of loneliness is natural, but it can be destructive if it becomes a prolonged state of depression. We may do harm to ourselves and to others. There is need to come out of that state at the earliest; and much depends on peers, elders, friends and relatives to help a person overcome this state. The person himself or herself also has the responsibility to open the door of one’s heart to the workings of the Holy Spirit who is the true counsellor, the paraclete, the comforter and the life-giver. The word of God, our liturgical worship, the devotional life of the Church, our family prayer, our social relationships, our church activities and a selfless service to humanity are a great means to take us from loneliness to ‘aloneness’ to ‘solitude’.

From his birth until his death on the cross and the victory of the resurrection, Our Lord Jesus Christ speaks to us of his communion with the Father whose will he has come to accomplish on this earth. Already at his baptism the Father reveals him as his ‘beloved son’ with whom he is well pleased. In the strength of this relationship Jesus shuns the temptations of the evil one to pleasures, wealth, power and popularity during his forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert before beginning his public ministry. Throughout his public ministry of healing, forgiving and proclaiming the Good News of God’s Kingdom he faces bitter opposition from the evil one who attacks him overtly and covertly through his agents– the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Scribes, the Lawyers, the temple aristocracy, the Sanhedrin and the Roman administration. Jesus does not back out but carries on accomplishing his mission of doing good and showing us the way of salvation until his arrest, shoddy trial and ignominious death on the cross. The way of the cross was truly a way of unexplainable suffering and pain, both physical and emotional, which we meditate upon during the days of Lent and particularly on Good Friday.

What could have sustained Jesus throughout his ministry and during this final phase of his life which we call his passion and death when all human support had left him and he was abandoned into the hands of his enemies? Without any doubt, it was his communion with the Father. As the Gospels, especially of John, so emphatically illustrate, the source, the mainstay, the raison d’être of the life and mission of Jesus is his Father. Finally, it is the Father who strengthens him to ‘drink the cup’ to the dregs and forgive his enemies before surrendering his spirit into the Father’s hands at the completion of his mission.

Therefore, when Jesus calls us to follow him by denying ourselves and taking up our cross, he calls us into solitude which does not signify running away from the world but rather connecting with it all the more deeply in love and self-giving.

We witness how people came into solitude from their loneliness when they encountered Jesus – the blind, the deaf, the paralytics, the lepers, the possessed, the infirm, the sinners, the simple believers, and even the dead who were raised to life. The greater transition from loneliness to solitude happened when Jesus rose again from the dead. For all those who encountered the Risen Lord, life was never the same again. The process would be completed at Pentecost when the Church would be commissioned in the power of the Spirit to proclaim to the whole world God’s infinite love in Christ and the call to new life in the Holy Spirit.

Donna E. Schaper in her book Alone but not Lonely: A Spirituality of Solitude (Mumbai: St. Paul’s, 2000) says: “Loneliness is when we get trapped deep inside and can’t get out. Loneliness happens to everyone. It is good for us to explore both solitude and loneliness. Both offer solace. Both. Each is part of the other. Think of Mary who came to the garden alone (John 20:15-18). First, she is deeply lonely. The whole world is lonely that early Easter morning. Then Jesus speaks to her, and her loneliness turns to solitude. An encounter with Jesus lets Mary be by herself in a different way. It also opens her to companionship in a different way. Solitude brings us back to people and to God!” (pp. 9-10).

A recent story from Turkey narrates how a rich landlord who had mercilessly sent away his tenant for not paying the monthly rent on time found himself equally homeless and in the same makeshift tent along with his old tenant after the earthquake.

We don’t need a calamity of such proportions to open our eyes to the transient nature of wealth and power in God’s eyes; we need to enter into the solitude of Christ’s Resurrection in order to be people enlightened by His Spirit.

On February 22 we will begin the annual season of Lent which calls us to introspection, repentance and new life in Christ with fasting, almsgiving and intense prayer as our penitential practices which deepen our communion with the Lord, with one another and with the poor. They prove that we value more the prize of eternal life than food and clothing and pleasures of this world and its securities; that we value more God’s will than our own, the word of God than our own plans and designs. This is what Christ Our Lord has taught us as the path to salvation.

Our ‘good works’ done ‘in secret’ to please God alone and not to win applause from people are extremely important and indispensable for our life of faith and growth in sanctity. They merit us God’s grace and entry into the kingdom of God which Christ proclaimed.

Our Lord says: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 5:16); and St. James warns us: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). He further says: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2: 14-17). Therefore, we are not justified by faith alone, but by faith which expresses itself and flowers into ‘good works’ pleasing to God. It is Christ himself who has taught us this ‘philosophy’ of justification and salvation, and the Catholic Church has always preserved it as our priceless treasure of truth.

Our beloved Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI left this world at age 95 on December 31, 2022 after laying down the papal office in 2013 and retiring into a monastery to spend time in silence and prayer in preparation for the final encounter with the Lord. It was the last leg of his life’s pilgrimage which ended with the words: “Lord, I love you”.

He was a great scholar in Sacred Scripture and Theology and has left behind many articles, books, papal exhortations and encyclicals on almost all aspects of faith but all that he wanted us to do through his writings is nothing else but to grow in the love of the Lord as believers who are disciples of the Divine Master and loyal members of the Church.

Despite his high scholarship he was a humble soul who considered himself a simple worker in the Lord’s vineyard, a pilgrim among pilgrims, a believer among believers.

In memory of him, I would like to highlight some of his beautiful reflections on Jesus Christ Our Lord as the Philosopher, Shepherd and Bread, which are so relevant for our Lenten journey.

The figure of Jesus Christ as ‘philosopher’ and ‘shepherd’ is found in the early Christian art of Rome – on the sarcophagi . How did this happen? And why was Jesus likened to a ‘philosopher’ and depicted holding in one hand the ‘staff’ of a travelling philosopher and, on the other, the Gospel? Because in the ancient world, the philosopher was someone who knew to teach the essential art, i.e., the art of being authentically human – the art of living and dying. There were many ‘fake’ philosophers also at that time, who went about pretending to be philosophers and teachers of life but were just ‘charlatans’ who were out to cheat people and make money through their words while having nothing to say about real life.

Jesus was a different philosopher, a different teacher of life, as described in the Gospels: “And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him” (Mk. 1:26-28); “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Mt. 7:28-29).

The early Christians understood that by his ‘staff’ Jesus has conquered death and by his Gospel, he has taught us the truth about what a man truly is and what a man should do in order to be truly human. Jesus shows us the way, and he is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. He is the life which all of us are seeking. He shows us the way beyond death. Only someone who is able to do this is the true ‘teacher of life’; and that is Jesus our Lord in his life, death and resurrection. In fact, the picturization of Jesus as philosopher on the sarcophagus is in the scene of the resurrection of Lazarus where Jesus is the giver of life.

The same becomes visible in the image of the ‘shepherd’. It draws its inspiration from Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd’ and the fulfilment of this psalm in Our Lord’s declaration of himself as the ‘Good Shepherd’ (cf. Jn. 10). What do these words mean? “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads in paths pf righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me… Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

It means, the true shepherd is one who knows even the path that passes through the valley of death; one who walks with me even on the path of final solitude, where no one can accompany me, guide me through; he himself has walked this path, he has descended into the kingdom of death, he has conquered death, and he has returned to accompany us now and to give us the certainty that, together with him, we can find a way through. The realization that there is One who even in death accompanies me, and with his ‘rod’ and his ‘staff’ comforts me, so that ‘I fear no evil’ – this is the new hope that Christ Our Lord in his passion, death and resurrection brings to all believers.

This ‘philosopher’ and ‘good shepherd’ who frees us from the clutches of sin and death and the power of the evil one is also the ‘bread of life’; he is the “true bread from heaven” – the bread of God “who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (Jn. 6: 33). The eternal Word who has become flesh and come to dwell among us becomes for us in the Holy Eucharist our ‘food’ of eternal life. He is the bread of life who takes away our hunger and thirst and ensures our eternal salvation. He is our good shepherd who “lays down his life for his sheep” (Jn. 10:11). He is also the ‘door’ of the sheepfold. In order to be saved and not perish we are called to belong to his flock, live in his sheepfold and enter through him who is the ‘door’. He gives meaning to our life in its entirety – our joys and our sorrows, our suffering and our pain, our successes and our failures, our expectations and our aspirations, our past, present and hope for the future, our sins and our offences, our life and our death, and our deep longing for life eternal.

To have him as our ‘bread’ is to live in him and he in us, and this takes us to other parable of the ‘vine and the branches’ where we are called to ‘abide in him’ as he abides in us: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me…Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:4-5).

If we do not abide in him and his words do not abide in us, if we do not abide in his love, if he is not the bread of our life on whom we feed, if we do not remain in his flock and listen to the voice of our good shepherd, we expose ourselves to the attacks of the evil one, and we will certainly perish.

Let us listen to some of the immortal words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on the Eucharist in his apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (Sacrament of Love – 2007) on “The Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church’s Life and Mission”:

· The Sacrament of Charity, the Holy Eucharist is the gift that Jesus Christ makes of himself, thus revealing to us God’s infinite love for every man and woman. This wondrous sacrament makes manifest that “greater” love which led him to “lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). Jesus did indeed love them “to the end” (Jn. 13:1).

· In the sacrament of the altar, the Lord meets us, men and women created in God’s image and likeness (cf. Gen. 1;27), and becomes our companion along the way. In this sacrament, the Lord truly becomes food for us, to satisfy us, to satisfy our hunger for truth and freedom. Since only the truth can make us free (cf. Jn. 8:32). Christ becomes for us the food of truth.

· The Lord Jesus, “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6), speaks to our thirsting , pilgrim hearts, our hearts yearning for the source of life, our hearts longing for truth.

· In the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus shows us in particular the truth about love which is the very essence of God. It is the evangelical truth which challenges each one of us and our whole being. For this reason, the Church, which finds in the Eucharist the very centre of her life, is constantly concerned to proclaim to all, in season and out of season (cf. 2 Tim. 4;2), that God is love.

· Precisely because Christ has become for us the food of truth, the Church turns to every man and woman, inviting them freely to accept God’s gift.” (No. 1-3).

Ultimately, what is the ‘philosophy’ Christ our ‘good shepherd’ and our ‘bread of life’ has passed to us? It is the foolishness of the Cross: “but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1Cor. 1: 24-25).

The Lenten season leads us to the Holy Eucharist where we learn God’s wisdom and God’s power in the crucified and risen Lord, which surpasses all human wisdom and human power.

Our former Archbishop, His Grace Angelo Fernandes of happy memory, in his ‘emeritus’ years (1991-2000) penned down several thought-provoking booklets on LOVE (Being In Love And Living To The Full,Preparing Oneself For Joyous Living,More About Being In Love, Love’s Dynamic Outreach,Still More About Being In Love,Yet More About Being In Love,Living Joyously In The Sunset Years, Wisdom: The Door To Life, Love And Joy) which are his spiritual legacy to us. Once, in the Archbishop’s House, while discussing some of his thoughts with a group, someone remarked jokingly, “Your Grace, why didn’t you say all this before your retirement?” Pat came the reply from Archbishop Angelo Fernandes: ”You guys are looking backward; I am looking forward”.

Yes, he was indeed a man of contemplative prayer who ‘looked forward’. He had a hope-filled positive outlook on life as that of a saint and mystic. These words of St. Paul could well apply to him: “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:13-14).

We may waste our precious years and the promise they contain by looking backward, instead of forward; and it may be too late by the time we realize our foolishness. ‘Looking forward’ gives to life eagle’s wings; it prevents us from being depressed and demoralized; we re-gain the freshness and enthusiasm of our youth; it gives meaning and purpose to our lives; we commit and re-commit ourselves to life-giving goals.

What does Archbishop Angelo Fernandes mean by ‘looking forward’ and not ‘backward’?

In his outlook, to ‘look forward’ means to be in a constant process of growth towards greater maturity and love, for which the ‘past’ is both a springboard and something to be left behind in order to move forward. We return to our past to learn from it, but we move forward to become the person God wants me to be. And what is the person God wants me to be? A person fully human and fully alive. Such a person, said St. Irenaeus, the great 2^nd century father of the Church, is the glory of God. A fully human and fully alive person is one who is in harmony with God, with one self, with others and with the Universe.

To enjoy this harmony means to be immersed in the mystery of God’s infinite love revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord. Only such a person experiences the true joy of life, is filled with the peace that this world cannot give us and spreads love in his/her environment, even in the midst of pain and suffering, difficulties and obstacles, inner wounds and bitter memories.

To give love we must possess love. To teach love we must comprehend love. To recognize love we must be receptive in love. To trust love we must be convinced of love. To yield love we must be vulnerable to love. To dedicate ourselves to love we must be forever growing in love; and why? Because, if we are not growing and ‘becoming’, we are sliding backwards as human beings. If we are not growing constantly in love, our personalities are slowly dying. There is no standing still in the life of the Spirit (cf. Still More About Being In Love, pp. 20-21).

Love is indeed an inexhaustible mystery which we will never be able to explore fully, like life itself. Love will always challenge us to an ever better and deeper understanding and thirst for its beauty and splendour: “The process of love is a two-dimensional reality. It involves our being stretched in two directions, the upward movement towards the Lord from whom we came and to whom we have to return, and the outward movement towards the neighbour, as we pass from selfishness to service of others and from loneliness to kinship with all humankind. The antidote to loneliness is loving others, not in being loved” (More About Being In Love, p.24).

For wise and healthy living the ‘power of love’ is the indisputable secret. Life and love always go together for life without love is empty and dead. And here’s a story:

A partially deaf child was sent home from school with a note: “The boy is too stupid to learn.” “My son Tom isn’t too stupid to learn”, said his mother. “I will teach him myself”. And she did. Years later when the man died his whole nation paid tribute to him by turning off the Nation’s lights for a full minute! That was Thomas Edison who invented not only the light bulb but also motion pictures, and record players, thanks to a mother’s love! (Yet More About Being In Love, pp. 7-8).

Another profound reflection written thirty years ago, and yet so relevant:

Abraham Lincoln was walking a street with his two sons when the boys started quarrelling. “What’s the trouble with your boys Mr. Lincoln?” a passer-by asked. The same thing that’s wrong with the rest of the world was Lincoln’s reply. “I’ve got three walnuts and each boy wants two.”

An unknown author thus describes the chronic sin of selfishness:

I had a little tea party this afternoon at three

Twas very small – three guests in all – just I, myself and me.

Myself ate all the sandwiches,

While I drank all the tea,

Twas also I who ate the pie

And passed the cake to me.

This is the selfishness that is at the root of all the socio-economic disparities in our society, the greed of the few rich that deprives the poor of their needs, the lack of integrity and honesty in public life, the primacy of the ‘fast buck’ to be acquired by fair means or foul, the unhealthy and abnormal state of affairs we experience everywhere.

This is also at the root of family disputes, marriage break-ups and their negative impact on children. Therefore, frustrated individuals seek an escape in sexual promiscuity and indulge in erotic experiences. These are often paraded in the media as a substitute for true and lasting love ( Yet More About Being In Love, pp. 12-13).

In the same vein, underlying our censorious and negative attitudes, the blame games we play, our stone throwing habits, our thoughtless words, our carping criticism etc., is this selfishness (cf. More About Being In Love, pp. 16-17).

In the context of this situation of brokenness we live in, young people who are serious about their present and future have something very profound to say about what constitutes love:

· Love is a total self-gift, so it must involve the entire personality. The total experience transcends mere feeling just as it transcends mere intellect. The mind, the heart, the will must all enter into the response.

· The more active the response the faster will we arrive at a real disinterested friendship, a closeness and intimacy which is one of the ambitions of love.

· The others are: Being present to each other all the time and wanting to give more of oneself to the other, a spirit of sacrifice and surrender and a readiness even to die for each other.

· The heart of the matter is ‘incredible love affair of prayer’. It is through prayer alone that we improve our attitudes towards God, ourselves and others and are ready to engage in humble, effective help and service.

· True love demands discipline and self-sacrifice. The surrender implied in the gift of self in love can be very exacting.

· Love needs freedom to grow; on the one hand, a sense of dignity and identity, a healthy self-esteem, and on the other, a deep respect and even reverence for the dignity and personhood of the other.

· Love clamours for social justice. Economic growth is unquestionably a basic requirement for human development, but the human mind is hungry for something deeper in terms of moral and spiritual development, without which all the material advance may not be worthwhile.

· Only justice can ensure peace in society. People who do not uphold the human rights of others can hardly be called ‘loving’.

· Love is a risk, a deed of daring. It exposes our own vulnerability and may call for disclosing our wounds and sharing our brokenness.

· Love requires listening, forgiving and healing each other, and giving love because we want to love and not for the sake of any return.

· Yes, the joy of loving and the joy of giving are much the same thing (cf. Still More About Being In Love, pp. 22-27).

· If we are faithful in our search for Life, that life will come to meet us on the wings of Love and find us. After all, love is not just something but SOMEONE who is always present with us and in us, with his wisdom, joy and compassion (cf. Wisdom The Door To Life Love And Joy, p. 69).

We know the story of Lot’s wife. She “looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (Gen. 19:26). That story can be a good metaphor for what can happen to our lives if we look backward instead of looking forward. A pillar of salt is lifeless, stony and immobile; the same can be our story if we allow the past to rule our lives – we will be lifeless and immobile.

The world has entered the new year 2023 and within twinkle of an eye it will become ‘old’ year. Before the days, weeks and months pass like sand slipping through our fingers, let us pray for the grace to ‘look forward’. Looking forward is the quality of ‘hope’ that we carry from the day of our baptism, of our life to be lived with God forever in the eternal bliss of the Holy Trinity. This intense desire to be with God forever in his Kingdom applies to old and young alike, because it is fundamental to our Christian discipleship and gives meaning to our life’s journey on earth.

Let the New Year 2023 signify ‘newness’ in our attitudes, our behaviour patterns, our relationships, our spiritual life, our sense of responsibility towards God, ourselves and others.

As the year 2022 draws to a close and we look forward to another year in the journey of our life on this earth it may be good to seriously reflect on the one question that should matter in our life the most – where do we want our names to be written, on earth or in heaven?

When the seventy-two other disciples returned from their mission with joy, telling the Lord that even the demons are subject to them, the Lord gave them this reply: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Lk. 10: 18-20).

The longing for immortality on earth is very natural to our broken human nature – and so we crave to carve out a ‘name’ for ourselves so that we are remembered, admired and revered by posterity. So many people are crazy for limelight, ‘publicity’ and ‘popularity’ – to become ‘known’ names and ‘known’ faces. One of the dominant social values today is to be considered a ‘celebrity’ and lot of investment is done to build up a ‘public image’. All this is fine as long as the underlying motive is the glory of God and not one’s own self-glorification; the test is of course when negativity comes into our lives and how we react to it. We have to keep in mind the temptations of our Lord in the desert and the way the evil one was tempting him to use his spiritual gifts to gain power, popularity and fame for himself, but our Lord firmly rebuked the devil with these words, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Lk. 4: 12); and how much we have to guard against the temptations of the evil one who never ceases to devise ways to put us to the test!

When Pope John Paul II (now saint) visited Delhi on February 1 & 2, 1986, some of the young altar servers practising for the Mass were eager to know whether they’d appear on TV. When I replied in the affirmative, they became extremely happy and excited. This is innate in us, whether we are young or old – to see our names and faces appearing in the media – for good reasons of course! It gives us a sense of social recognition and boosts up our egos! So many times people remark, though without malice, “I saw you on the TV, You are in the newspapers – you are becoming very popular”.

In some of our old churches, we still notice brass plates at the back of the pews with names of the donors prominently displayed; we also notice marble stones with all the names of the donors inscribed not in the alphabetical order but in the order of the amounts donated so that posterity may know who gave the highest. Some people may display anger if their names are missed out while announcing the donors or the amount mentioned is less than the actual one. Social prestige is such an important value in our society, the Church not being an exception.

Commemorative stones, donor plaques and list of donors are highly acceptable as long as these are meant for historical record only and not to glorify our name. If the motive is for self-propagation and boasting whether active or passive, we may be treading on dangerous ground which may quite contradict the Gospel.

St. Paul teaches us the great truth of holy indifference: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, then righteousness from God that depends on faith - that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil. 3: 7-11).

Further on he says:

“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4: 12).

Our Lord’s teaching is very clear, “But rejoice that your names are written in heaven”. This is precisely the area in which so many evangelists err – they rejoice that they have the gifts of driving out the demons and of healing but they also strive to make themselves famous through this ‘ministry’, earn a name and fame for themselves and also improve their economic status.

The very identity of the Church as a ‘body’ consists of its being a unity in a variety of gifts which all work together for the common good (cf. 1Cor. 12). All these gifts are given by the Holy Spirit “for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12) – and higher than all the gifts, is the gift of love (cf. 1Cor. 13). All the gifts, whether as virtues or offices, have to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, namely, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (cf. Gal. 6:22-23).

The gifts given by the Holy Spirit are never taken back, but they are to be used for the building up of the Church and for the glory of God, and NEVER for one’s own selfish gains and material benefits. St. Paul openly reprimands such kind of fake evangelists. He calls them “peddlers of God’s word” (2Cor. 2:17) who make merchandise of the word of God. In his two letters to Timothy also he mentions this point (cf. Tim. 6:1-11).

What is the characteristic of the true disciple of Christ? He/she is the one who endeavours to have his/her name written in heaven; therefore is least bothered if one’s name is not written on earth, for God looks at the heart and will reward us accordingly. This truth Our Lord has expounded in his ‘Sermon on the Mount’. We have to beware of practising our righteousness before other people “in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is heaven” (Mt. 6:1). True reward is what we receive from God “who sees in secret”. So we don’t blow our own trumpet before people; we don’t seek praises from people for the good work we do or the good life we live. The secret of Christian life lies much in this ‘secrecy’ which shuns the human accolades and seeks the divine recognition, for which personal communion with the Lord is so essential and indispensable – the prayer life Christ has taught us, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (Jn. 14:10); “Abide in me, and I in you” (Jn. 15:4). Therefore, St. Paul thunders, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (2Cor. 10: 17).

Those who make a display of their ‘good works’ have already received their reward. They have obtained human acclaim, but they cannot be sure whether God will also acclaim them. The true follower of Jesus does not look for publicity about oneself. His/her only motive is that the Gospel be proclaimed, God’s name be made holy, his will be done and his kingdom come.

In the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (cf. Lk 18:9-14), the boastful self-righteousness of the Pharisee is condemned and the humble disposition of the Publican is lauded and set forth as an example of an attitude of the heart that pleases God. So, what kind of an attitude the Lord looks from us that our names may be written in heaven? The attitude of a constant conversion of heart that the Gospel places before us.

In the Office of Readings of the 32^nd Week of the Year we find some very profound reflections from a second century author (unknown):

“Let us move forward then unflinchingly, brethren, to face the contest before us. We know that many compete in the secular games but that few win the victor’s crown, only those good competitors who have exerted themselves to the full. Let us compete so that all of us may win the crown. Let us run along the straight course in the contest for immortality; let us enter in great numbers, all of us looking for the crown.”

“While we are still in this world, let us always be learning to repent…While we are in this world, we must take every opportunity of repentance for our sins. Our salvation depends on it. Once we have left the world, it is no longer possible to confess one’s sins or be sorry for them…Brethren, if we do the Father’s will and lead chaste lives and keep the Lord’s commands, then eternal life will be ours”.

“Brethren, let us do the will of the Father who has called us so that we may have life and practise virtue more faithfully. And let us part company with wickedness, sin’s fellow-traveller, and with ungodliness which brings evil down on our heads…Let it be our concern then to serve God with a pure heart and we shall live good lives…And so, my dear brethren, let us not be fickle; let us be patient and hope, so that we may gain the reward. God is faithful and he will make good his promise to reward everyone according to his deeds…Therefore let us await the kingdom of God in love and holiness at every hour, since we do not know the day when the Lord will appear.”

“Let us persevere in the practice of holiness so that we may finally be saved. Blessed are those who obey these instructions, because even if they have to undergo a brief period of trial in this world, they will reap a harvest of everlasting life in the world to come”.

And on November 23, the feast day of Pope St. Clement I (third successor of St. Peter), there is a reading from his famous letter to the Corinthians which brought about unity in the Corinthian Church:

“How blessed, how marvellous are the gifts of God, my friends! Some of them, indeed, already lie within our comprehension – the life that knows no death, the shining splendour of righteousness, the truth that is frank and full, the faith that is perfect assurance, the holiness of chastity – but what of the things prepared for those who wait?...Then let us strain every nerve to be found among those who wait in patience for him, so that we too may earn a share of his promised gifts. And how is this to be done, my friends? Why, by fixing our minds trustfully on God; by doing whatever agrees with his perfect will; by following the paths of truth. Wickedness and wrongdoing of every kind must be utterly renounced; all greed, quarrelling, malice and fraud”.

This popular hymn of the charismatic renewal - Jesus Sets Me Absolutely Free - is a joyful proclamation of our faith in Christ our Redeemer who has defeated the evil one on the cross and broken the chains of sin and death to make us God’s children.

Very soon on November 20 we will be celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King. So clearly Our Lord has told us that indeed he is a king but his kingship is not of this world (cf. Jn. 18:36-38); he has come to establish on this earth, the kingdom of God. The joy with which we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King is the expression of the INNER FREEDOM we enjoy in Jesus Christ Our Lord and in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. If Christ does not dwell in our hearts (cf. Eph. 3:17) and his peace doesn’t rule in our hearts (cf. Col. 3:18) our external display will be an empty show.

The essence of our Christian life is to have Christ indwelling in us and becoming freer and freer every day by being filled with his love which, in other words, is to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

The words of our Lord are so clear: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”… and again: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn. 8: 31-36).

The Lord calls us to throw out the ‘junk’ out of our hearts which impedes our freedom, and in its place to let his grace in and let it set the direction of our lives. These insights I received recently in a beautiful book that I came across: Moving Forward: Overcoming the Habits, Hangups, and Mishaps that Hold You Back by John Siebeling (Pauline Publications, 143 Waterfield Road, Bandra West, Mumbai – 400050, 2021).

God has called us to live an overcoming life – to rise above everything weighing us down or holding us back from experiencing his best. He wants us to have freedom and forward motion in our life. It entails: the ability to obey God’s commands, the ability to live by God’s directions and counsel, the ability to carry out the purposes attached to our life; and this is an inside job. It starts with a willingness to admit the messes in our life and bring them into his presence, his power, his Word. He heals wounded hearts, puts broken spirits back together, and restores hope to the discouraged and disillusioned. He lifts burdens and supplies strength for the weary.

From this book I would like to highlight four common areas in our life which need restoration, healing and freedom:

1. The Blame Game. It is the original sin which we inherit from our first parents (cf. Gen. 3) – not to take responsibility for my faults and failures but to put the blame on the other, and how miserable and unhappy our life becomes! We may not be responsible for creating the circumstances, but we are responsible for how we react to them. It is all a matter of ‘attitudes’. Life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it. Some of the mindsets that we need to acquire: I am responsible for my life; blame is the hallmark of unfulfilled potential; blame will rob me, accepting responsibility will arm me; responsibility arms me with humility and respect; responsibility arms me with determination. Therefore, I should be ready to: admit I was/am wrong and apologize; follow through with my commitments; take care of the little and big things in my life if my life is to be healthy and successful; overcome feelings of discouragement and complacency because complacency and blame usually go hand in hand.

2. Being Carried Away by Feelings and Emotions – Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself . Our life should be led not by feelings and emotions alone, whether good or bad, but by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us i.e., his sevenfold gifts– wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of God. This is a matter of decision in the light of the Holy Spirit and not of being tossed about by momentary feelings and emotions. When emotions, especially negative emotions, get the best of us, they also bring out the worst in us. When our feelings are in charge, we quit when the job gets tough, we check out when the relationship gets a little rocky, we get discouraged easily, we are afraid of taking risks because of failures, we procrastinate because we don’t ‘feel’ like doing it, we are quick to get frustrated and display it with sharp words and angry sighs. In such circumstances the answer is: STEADY ON which means, don’t allow your feelings and emotions to dominate you. The verse from 1 Thess. 5:23 tells us: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Let us focus on some foundational principles in order to have healthy, Spirit-led emotions: i) Consistent freedom and victory are not possible unless we learn to live beyond our feelings; ii) Feed the spirit. Starve the flesh i.e., the old sinful nature (cf. Gal. 6:7-8); iii) Sow where you want to go, because the choices we make today are like the seeds sown into our future; iv) Identify the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’; v) Move into love as Christ has taught us.

3. Be angry and do not sin (cf. Eph. 4:26-27). Anger, in and of itself, is not sinful – it’s what it leads us to that can be sinful. The Holy Bible talks of two kinds of anger, sanctified anger and sinful anger. Sanctified anger is when we get angry about something that angers the heart of God and do something good about it. Sinful anger is when we get angry about something that doesn’t matter, or it does matter but our anger leads us to act in a way we shouldn’t. When we get angry about the right things, anger can actually be a powerful force for good (Martin Luther). In Mark 3:4-5 we see a great example of sanctified, or righteous anger as Jesus confronts the Pharisees who hoped to accuse him of healing on the Sabbath. Jesus’ anger propelled him to confront a problem and then do something good to fix it. This story about Jesus shows us it’s OK to get angry, and, in fact, some of us need to get angry – not at God, not at your spouse, not at others, not at yourself but at your enemy (the evil one) who is trying to undercut your strength, health, and success with his schemes. Sanctified anger can spark a ‘rise up moment’ in our life where we say, ‘enough is enough, I am making a change’. It can produce a turning point that compels us to fight for the vision and calling that’s on our life. St. Paul speaks of sinful anger when he warns us, “do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil”. Anger is like the ‘foot’ in the doorjamb that holds the door open for the enemy to gain entrance into our life. Proverbs 25:28 puts it this way: “If you cannot control your anger, you are as helpless as a city without walls, open to attack”.

“When sinful anger controls us, we are allowing the enemy to position us for self-destruction, because sinful anger almost always leads to bad decisions. Harsh words that cut deep. Rash decisions that bring regret. Emotional judgements that are made on feelings rather than facts. A split second of anger can produce decisions that we regret for a lifetime” (p. 99). Being ‘spewers’ who spew toxic emotions like a volcano and being ‘stewers’ who bottle up negative emotions are both dangerous habits because they are the result of giving in to our ‘flesh’ and its drives. Bottling up anger and other negative emotions inside us is extremely harmful emotionally, relationally, physically, and spiritually. If anger is a perpetual problem and a significant struggle in our life, we need to find the ‘root of anger’ which is a deeper issue to address and three steps are indispensable – admit the hurt, ask for help, and surrender it all to God: “Letting go of anger requires a good deal of dying to self – humbling yourself, swallowing your pride, and choosing God’s way over your way. It’s not easy, but it can change your life” (p. 108).

4. The prison of unforgiveness. This is the perfect description of what unforgiveness does to our life – it puts us in a prison. Nelson Mandela, when he walked out of the prison after 27 years, said: “As I walked out of the door towards the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison”. Therefore, Our Lord Jesus Christ forgave from the cross and has taught us without mincing words that the way to salvation is the way of forgiveness, not of hatred and revenge. This is the core of the Gospel. Nelson Mandela has stated: ”Forgiveness liberates the soul; it removes fear. That’s why it’s such a powerful weapon”.

The principle we have to remember: Unforgiveness will keep us locked up. It is a hardening of the heart due to hurts, and the temptation is to lock ourselves in to protect ourselves from getting hurt again. But the problem is – those walls keep the old hurts in and they keep good things out – things like healthy friendships, new seasons, new opportunities, and even the conviction and encouragement of the Holy Spirit as well.

“The truth is, we cannot afford to live with unforgiveness. It’s far too high a price to pay. It will hurt us emotionally. It will hurt us spiritually. It will hurt us physically” (p. 114). Let us come back over and over again to St. Paul’s discourse on putting off the ‘old self’ and putting on the ‘new self’ created in the likeness of God (cf. Eph. 4: 17-32). We are called to give up all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour along with every kind of malice, and in its place put on kindness, tender-heartedness, compassion, understanding and forgiveness because God has forgiven us in Christ. The basis of our Christian faith is that everything we’ve been given by God’s grace comes through the forgiveness he offers us. And how does God forgive? Instantly, completely and freely. We have to embrace the forgiveness God has given us so that we can let it flow to others in the same way – instantly, completely, and freely.

Unforgiveness will keep us locked out. This is the story of the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Sion/Father (cf. Lk 15: 11-32). He interpreted the situation through the unhealthy filter of unforgiveness and all the emotions that come with it -anger, frustration, comparison, and jealousy. As a result, he made poor choices in his relationships. He was concerned with things being fair, he couldn’t forgive. He got so hung up on restitution, he missed out on reconciliation.

“Forgiveness can be so painful because it forces us to re-experience the deepest hurts we’ve buried in our heart. Don’t shy away from the process of releasing forgiveness because you’re afraid of the pain. It is painful because it needs to be dealt with. Dealing with it, while painful, is part of the process of healing. The pain is an indicator you are truly getting to the core of the wound and are on the right path to freeing yourself and moving forward” (p. 121).

“Don’t let unforgiveness keep you locked out of God’s best for your life. Unlock the trapdoor of unforgiveness and throw away the key. Choose to let God be bigger than your hurt and lead you into a future that’s bigger than your past. Great things await beyond the barriers of unforgiveness” (p. 122).

With conviction and joy let’s sing together: Jesus sets me absolutely free.

In the Catholic Church the month of October is dedicated the world over to the Holy Rosary. This beautiful devotion is primarily a meditation on Jesus Christ Our Lord and the mystery of our Redemption in which Our Blessed Mother plays an inalienable role as the mother of Our Saviour. The Gospels attest to this, particularly the Gospel of Luke. Hence in the Rosary devotion we give a very important place and focus to Our Blessed Mother because the Holy Spirit tells us who Mary is to the Church and vice-versa.

As we recite the Rosary we reflect on the ‘martyrdom of the soul’ that Mary epitomizes. I came across this phrase ‘martyrdom of the soul’ in the second reading of the Office of Readings for the Memorial of ‘Our Lady of Sorrows” on September 15. It is taken from the sermons of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. St. Bernard is referring to the prophecy made to Mary by the venerable prophet Simeon when Jesus was presented in the Temple as a new born babe by his parents: “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (Lk. 2: 34-35).

The sufferings of Mary are indeed a ‘martyrdom’, but they are not physical pain caused by tortures and shedding of blood; the pain that Mary goes through is caused by the sword that pierces her ‘soul’ and not her body. St. Bernard says:

“Do not marvel, brethren, that Mary is said to have endured martyrdom in her soul. Only he will marvel who forgets what Paul said of the Gentiles, that among their worst vices was that they were without compassion. Not so with Mary! May it never be so with those who venerate her.”

So, St. Bernard points to the compassion of Mary at the foot of the Cross as her martyrdom – the martyrdom of the soul, when she stands gazing at her crucified Son and participates in his agony, his pain and his death, along with all those who accompanied Jesus on his via crucis.

What is compassion? Compassion means ‘to suffer with’. Compassion springs from the heart or as the Gospels would say ‘from the bowels’ ( splangchnizomai is the Greek verb to express this). In the ancient world the ‘bowels’ in the body were supposed to be the source of compassion. At all times in the Gospels Jesus is moved with compassion towards the poor and distressed people and this inner movement is the reason for the miracles that he worked for the people that followed him or came to him begging for mercy – whether sick or burdened with sin. The entire ministry of Jesus attests to this infinite compassion of God become incarnate in the Eternal Word and come to dwell among us. It would reach its climax on the Cross of Calvary when in his death Jesus would seal God’s covenant of love with us until the end of time; and in his resurrection open the gates of paradise lost to us by the disobedience of our first parents.

St. Mathew describes summarily Jesus’ ministry of compassion:

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest’ “ (Mt. 9: 35-38).

In the two miracles of the loaves and the fish (Mt 14: 13-21and Mt 15:38-39) Jesus is moved with compassion on the crowds (five thousand and four thousand respectively) that follow him in order to listen to his word and be healed by him. Most of them have carried no food with them and Jesus is “unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way”.

The parable of the Good Samaritan (LK. 10: 26-37) is an illustration par excellence of compassion that leads to action. It is in this way that we are called to be ‘laborers in the harvest’ – becoming angels of God’s mercy and compassion at all times and in all circumstances. This would also be, Our Lord has clearly told us, the criteria on which we will be judged on the Last Day (cf. Mt 25: 31-46 - the Parable of the Final Judgement). Nobody will be able to escape this judgement, however powerful and wealthy and famous one might have been on this earth. Therefore, as disciples of Christ, we are called to be wise and not foolish (cf. Mt 25: 1-13 - the Parable of the Ten Virgins).

However, there may be times when we are not able to do anything to alleviate the pain of the other except to be with the person, accompany him or her and make that pain my own. That too is compassion as Christ has taught us. I remember the wonderful example of one of our seminarians of the Archdiocese Bro. Britto Stalin, a student of 2^nd year of theology at Vidyajyoti, who died of colon cancer on January 20, 2015. Just ten days before his saintly death I had visited him at AIIMS, New Delhi when he was in intense pain. In that same small ward, there was a little girl of ten who was suffering from blood cancer and howling in pain; her young mother was trying to calm her down. I can still remember the words of Bro. Stalin: “I feel sorry for that girl. Her pain is much more than mine”. He didn’t grumble or complain about his own pain, rather was more concerned about the pain of the other. A beautiful example of the ‘martyrdom of the soul’ that should be the mark of our Christian discipleship.

Pope Francis speaks often of the ‘indifference’ that plagues the world today. This indifference is starkly brought out in the Parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus (Lk 16: 19-31) which was proclaimed on the 26 ^th Sunday of the Year. The rich man was so caught up in his own luxurious living in his mighty mansion that he was completely oblivious to the plight of the poor beggar Lazarus who was daily sitting at his door and longing to be given some food from the rich man’s table. In the next life it was Lazarus who was lifted up into the bosom of Abraham and the rich man who paved his way to the eternal hell fire – not because his wealth was ill-gotten but because he was indifferent to the sufferings of the poor and thought only of himself and his own material interests. He didn’t care to share his riches and his material possessions with the poor, the afflicted and the needy. The Lord has warned us that in the eternal life the tables will be turned – the first will be last and the last will be first; therefore, there is absolutely no guarantee that those who are ‘first’ in this world will also be first in eternity. Mary, our Blessed Mother also proclaims the same truth in her Magnificat. The early Church, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, understood this truth and began to share their goods with one another so that none could be poor and needy and deprived of the necessities of life. Confirmed in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, of which ‘wisdom’ is first, we know the eternal ‘treasure’ (cf. Mt 6:19-21) we are called to seek above all the treasures and securities of this world. This is indeed the ‘witness’ to God’s Kingdom we are called to give as we journey on this earth. As the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us, we don’t have a lasting city on this earth but we look forward to the everlasting city to come (cf. Hebrews 13:14).

In his message on the Universal Day of Migrants & Refugees (last Sunday of September) Pope Francis precisely reflects on this theme of the search for our true homeland which is the ultimate meaning of our ‘journey’ in this world. He says:

“The city yet to come is a ‘city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God’ (Heb 11:10). His plan calls for an intense work of construction, in which all of us must be personally involved. It involves a meticulous effort aimed at personal conversion and the transformation of reality, so that it can correspond ever more fully to the divine plan. The tragedies of history remind us how far we are from arriving at our goal, the new Jerusalem, ‘the dwelling place of God with men’ (Rev. 21:3). Yet this does not mean that we should lose heart. In the light of what we have learned in the tribulations of recent times, we are called to renew our commitment to building a future that conforms ever more fully to God’s plan of a world in which everyone can live in peace and dignity”.

This is the vision set forth in 2 Pet 3:13: “We wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home”. Righteousness is one of the building blocks of God’s Kingdom, affirms Pope Francis. It is a question of daily efforts towards justice, peace and love which require from us patience, sacrifice and determination if God’s harmonious plan is to be fulfilled and all creation is to return to its original goodness, and humanity is to become once more ‘very good’ (cf. Gen. 1:1-31). But for this wondrous harmony to reign, “we must accept Christ’s salvation, his Gospel of love, so that the many forms of inequality and discrimination in the present world may be eliminated”.

Precisely referring to the migrants, the Holy Father insists that no one should be excluded. He says: “God’s plan is essentially inclusive and gives priority to those living on the existential peripheries. Among them are many migrants and refugees, displaced persons, and victims of trafficking. The Kingdom of God is to be built with them, for without them it would not be the Kingdom God wants. The inclusion of those most vulnerable is the necessary condition for full citizenship in God’s Kingdom”.

How wonderfully Our Blessed Mother teaches us that compassion is the ‘martyrdom of the soul’ and the beautiful devotion of the Holy Rosary where she is at the centre is a contemplative Christian prayer leading us to a deeper discipleship of Christ and strengthening us against the snares of Satan.

Lambeth Conference – July 29 to August 7, 2022

‘God’s Church for God’s World’ was the theme of the 15^th Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Communion that took place at Canterbury, England from July 29^th to August 7^th, 2022 and brought together nearly 1500 international participants. I had the privilege of being an ‘ecumenical guest’ at this Conference having been invited by the Vatican Dicastery for the Unity of Christians to be part of the Catholic Delegation. The other ecumenical guests were representatives of the Orthodox Churches, the Old Catholic Church, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the Pentecostal and Evangelical Churches. The Catholic Church was invited because we are in dialogue with the Anglican Communion since the 1970’s under the banner called ‘Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission’ which has produced many documents of ‘convergence’ almost bordering on ‘consensus’; but the dialogues have slowed down in recent years because of issues of doctrine (e.g., ordination of women) and morals (e.g., homosexuality and same sex marriage) which have caused tensions within the Anglican Communion itself and with the Catholic Church. For instance, the Anglican Provinces of Nigeria, Uganda and Rwanda did not participate in the Lambeth Conference 2022 because of their firm opposition to same-sex marriage which some other ‘liberal’ Provinces have fully approved. It is important therefore, that we pray for healing in the Anglican Communion and the grace to witness to Christ in unity of faith, doctrine and moral teachings.

Besides ARCIC there are other platforms of ecumenical cooperation between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion e.g., The International Anglican Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission (IARCCUM).

In the Vatican Council II document on ecumenism called Unitatis Redintegratio (The Restoration of Unity) it is clearly stated: “Among those in which Catholic traditions and institutions in part continue to exist, the Anglican Communion occupies a special place.” (UR 13). Hence in the dialogues with the Anglican Communion there is so much of the Apostolic Tradition that the Catholic Church finds as a common heritage of the two Churches because, though influenced by the 16^th century Reformation, the Church of England remained as a good blend of the Catholic and Protestant ecclesiologies.

The Lambeth Conference is one of the instruments of communion of the worldwide Anglican Church spread in 165 countries (the Church of North India and the Church of South India are part of the Anglican Communion). It is convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury to bring together all the serving Anglican bishops who are linked by faith, tradition and culture to the Church of England to renew their commitment to Christ and his Gospel within the Anglican charism but with the will to be united with the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury is only a spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion with no jurisdiction over the autonomous Anglican Churches (Provinces) outside England and Wales. This mammoth event takes place every ten years since 1867 when the first Lambeth Conference was held in the ‘Lambeth Palace’ of the Archbishop of Canterbury in London. Since 1978 the venue has been shifted to the University of Kent at Canterbury. Lambeth Conferences have always been opened by the Archbishop of Canterbury presiding from the chair of St Augustine in Canterbury Cathedral. This Cathedral, as you know, is the place of martyrdom of St. Thomas a Becket in the 12^th century.

The first Lambeth Conference met in 1867. The Conference has subsequently met at roughly

ten- year intervals till 2022, except when World Wars or a pandemic have prevented it. The 1920 Conference was significant for its Appeal to Unity, which in many ways anticipated what Vatican Council II would say years later in Unitatis Redintegratio:

• That all Christians are bound to one another through baptism and through the fundamentals of faith and tradition that all share and which are articulated in the Scriptures and the ancient creeds.

• That division is caused by sin and that Christians are therefore called to acknowledge guilt for the sins that cause division and to do penance.

• That God intends his Church to be a sign for the world, and that its unity must therefore be visible

• The goal must be a “Church, genuinely Catholic, loyal to all truth, and gathering into its fellowship all ‘who profess and call themselves Christians,’ within whose visible unity all the treasures of faith and order, bequeathed as a heritage by the past to the present, shall be possessed in common”.

As Unitatis Redintegratio differentiates the Churches of the East from the communities of the Reformation, so the Lambeth Appeal distinguishes episcopal from non-episcopal churches. The Conferences of 1930 and 1958 were significant in addressing the issue of contraception.

As the 15^th Lambeth Conference has just come to a close, I earnestly request all our people to pray for the unity of the Church, and also for the unity of the world to which the Church is intrinsically related. Ecumenism or the movement for the unity of the Church is not an optional element in our Christian life but an imperative of love which flows from our relationship to Christ himself in baptism and which impels us towards unity with all our brothers and sisters within the Body of Christ. We cannot close the doors of our hearts to this summons to LOVE which is the foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ.

The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby – the current Archbishop of Canterbury - in his welcome to all the delegates, underlined the role of the Lambeth Conference as an instrument of unity and an opportunity for bishops (and their spouses – for the Anglican bishops are usually married) to meet for Bible study, worship and fellowship. He reminded all that the Lambeth Conference has always been a gathering that wrestles with issues of common concern. In 1920, in the aftermath of the First World War, the Lambeth Conference met at a time of immense human need. Hence, the Church had to grapple with what it meant to work for peace and reconciliation in this world at that time.

However, one century on, and the global issues are not less significant – climate crisis, impact of Covid-19, conflict, discrimination, modern slavery, poverty and economic injustice. The Church’s voice has to be heard in the midst of these complex issues and she has to stand firmly for the hope that Christ brings to the world. The task of the Conference was to shape a new vision for how the Anglican Communion engages with the world in the decade ahead. It requires deep listening, bold reimagining, and faithful prayer.

Inspired by the 1^st Letter of St. Peter which was like a pivot on which the entire dynamics of the Conference revolved, the delegates tried to reflect deeply on what it means to be ‘God’s Church for God’s World’ as the churches walk, listen and witness together. The discussions centered on church and world affairs but more importantly it was once in a lifetime opportunity to share stories from different cultures, ministries and traditions.

Basing himself on the 1^st Letter of St. Peter, Archbishop Justin Welby inspired the audience with his soulful reflections on faith, hope, love, hospitality, holiness, suffering, authority, pastoral ministry, discipleship, mission, justice, peace, reconciliation, faith and science, sustainable development, unity of the Church, unity of humankind.

The Conference did not pass resolutions, instead focused on ‘Calls’ on the following themes: Mission and Evangelism; Reconciliation; Safe Church; Environment and Sustainable Development; Christian Unity; Inter-faith relations; Anglican Identity; Human Dignity/Identity; and Discipleship. The ‘Calls’ suggested that the decisions are not binding on the Provinces and each province can decide on its own response.

The traditional Christian teaching on marriage and sexuality already given in Lambeth 1998 (which saw an acrimonious debate on homosexuality) and Lambeth 2008 was discussed but not put to vote because of its sensitivity and the insistence on the part of Archbishop Justin Welby and other prominent Bishops on ‘Biblical faithfulness’. The Archbishop made his mind clear with a special address on this issue to the Conference.

The daily Bible Studies on themes from the 1^st Letter of Peter in ecumenical groups were the nourishment for the soul everyone looked forward to with great delight. The questions were aimed at a deep examination of conscience and repentance. The first day was dedicated to the theme ‘Called into Hope and Holiness in Christ’. It had three parts: Hope, Holiness and Mutual Love. The second day had the theme ‘A Holy People following Christ’. The three parts were: Living Stones, Honourable conduct and Suffering for doing what is right. The third day focused on the theme ‘Resistance and Resilience in Christ’ and the parts were: Empire, Authority, Hope. The fourth day was on the theme ‘Suffering in Christ’. It had four parts, namely, Suffering, Suffering and Community, Suffering and Joy, Suffering and Hospitality. The fifth day was dedicated to the theme ‘ Authority in Christ’. It had three parts: Shepherd, Humility, Roaring Lions. Every session ended with a beautifully formulated Concluding Prayer.

The Collect of the Eucharist at the Opening Service of the Lambeth Conference on July 31 at the Canterbury Cathedral truly encapsulated the missionary dynamism of the Church:

Loving God, in your goodness you call us to your service, and in your mercy, you provide for our needs. Grant to all those who minister in your name the courage to speak your words, the humility to wash the feet of others, and the love to work for justice and reconciliation in the world, that you may be glorified in all things; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever . Amen.

Let us pray that the Lambeth Conference of 2022 may mark a significant step forward in the journey towards the visible unity of the whole Church as was envisaged by the Lambeth Conference of 1920 over a hundred years ago.

And very specially, the presence of the Catholic observers at the Conference may help to heal the divisions within the Communion and strengthen within the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church a common sense of mission as expressed in the theme: ‘God’s Church for God’s World’.

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high!

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world is not broken up into narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action –

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

(Gitanjali, XXXV)

These soul-filled words of Rabindranath Tagore are immortal in our hearts and we always like to sing them as a hymn (put to music by Fr. Christopher Coelho OF), and on August 15 in particular.

On the 75^th anniversary of India’s Independence they will ring all the more true as we hoist the national tri-colour and pray earnestly that justice, liberty, equality and fraternity so firmly enshrined in our Constitution may become a reality in our beloved motherland.

Of course, seventy-five years of political freedom grounded in a vibrant democracy and its universal principles has seen our country bloom into a highly respected world power for which we thank God today as we look into our glorious past, take cognizance of the present and set our gaze into the future with hope and trust.

We have certainly woken up into a ‘heaven of freedom’, but not fully, and much more needs to be done if freedom is to be enjoyed by all in equal measure and our country does become a ‘heaven of freedom’ which it is not at the moment.

The gift we received on August 15, on the midnight of 1947, is also a task that is enjoined on all citizens of our country, irrespective of creed, class, gender, language, culture and ethnicity. Therefore, our Constitution speaks of both rights and duties. These two always go together. We cannot forget the famous words of President J F Kennedy, ‘ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country’, and ‘it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness’.

If some of our fellow citizens lack opportunities for their socio-economic development through education and other means, it is the responsibility of those who are more privileged to ensure that the less privileged are not left behind. This is not just ‘charity’ that perpetuates beggary but a determined effort to eliminate beggary altogether through structural transformation in society for which radical decisions for change would be required. This is nothing less than the ‘conversion of heart’ Our Lord Jesus Christ asked for at the beginning of his public ministry (cf. Mt. 4:17).

Looking around at our nation as such, we can notice immense poverty and misery side by side with burgeoning wealth. This should prick our conscience and lead us to ask ourselves, ‘what do I need to do about it’ and ‘how I can go about it’ if I truly love my motherland.

We may have become so ‘used’ to the situation around us and the scenario that always meets our eyes that it doesn’t bother us anymore; but it has to bother us because we are Christians and we will be judged finally, as the Gospel clearly tells us, not on our worship but on our service to the poor and the downtrodden in whom we have seen the face of Christ himself (cf. Mt. 25: ).

The early Christian community, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Chps. 2 &4) showed the path to freedom when they lived the Spirit-filled life of sharing their goods with one another and caring for the poor among them and in the society at large; and this sharing was intertwined with listening to and meditating on the Word and participating in the Eucharist.

On July 3, the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle of India, we celebrate, since 2021, the Indian Christian Day. As we thank God for the gift of our Christian faith brought to us through the ministry of St. Thomas, Christ’s Apostle himself, we also raise up our hearts in thanksgiving and praise to God for the grace given to the Church in India to serve our motherland through the various apostolates of education, health-care, social uplift of the poor and destitute, women empowerment, outreach to the most vulnerable sections of society, etc. etc. These activities, whether recognized or not, and at times even facing hostility and opposition, have been a great witness to the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom of justice, peace and love. However, we cannot rest on our laurels and glory in the past. We need to thoroughly examine and evaluate in the light of the Holy Spirit all that we are engaged in as part of our witness to Christ and to what extent we are faithful to the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, we have to constantly examine our life as the Christian Community itself on the touchstone of the Gospel and let the Holy Spirit speak to us as told in the Book of Revelation (Cf. Book of Revelation Chps. 2 & 3):

To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: “The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven gold lampstands… I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”

To the angel of the church in Sardis write: “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.”

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar ion the temple of my God.”

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”

Freedom, as the great St. Augustine has taught us, lies in mastery over oneself, and not in doing what one wishes to do. The latter leads to hedonism and destruction of the self and ultimately of the world; the former leads to true self-fulfilment and salvation of the world.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, in his teaching and his life’s example, has opened for us and the whole of humanity this secret of true freedom. The entire Gospel of Our Lord Jesus is the door to that freedom. It culminates in the Great Commandment of Love (cf. Jn 13: 34-35; Jn. 15: 12-13 ) which he fulfilled in his own death on the cross leading to the resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

There is no freedom when the little ‘self’ is our primary value. We become free, as Christ our Lord has testified, when God who is the true ‘Self’ takes possession of us. This process of ‘self-emptying’ is a life-long journey of dying to self and rising to new life in Christ.

Let us remember the words of St. Paul: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love you neighbour as yourself’ (Gal. 5: 13-14).

So, on the 75^th anniversary of our nation’s freedom from the shackles of the British rule let us pray for our nation and its every citizen, all our political leaders and our intelligentsia that the humanity and dignity of every citizen of India may never be at risk and that we may conscientiously strive to create a society where our nation is truly free as Rabindranath Tagore envisioned it; and that the Church in her mission received from Christ may never shirk in her responsibility to proclaim and live the Gospel of God’s love.

We are living in the midst of a protracted war between Russia and Ukraine which doesn’t seem to find its end – and already the two nations have paid a very high price in human lives lost, destruction of infrastructure and environment and economic regress. We know the hardships our young students in Ukraine were put to and how their future has been jeopardized by the war. Ultimately, for whose benefit is the war and in what way does it help humanity to be more civilized?

Can these words from Prophet Isaiah help the world leaders to open their eyes to put this mindless destruction behind and embark on a new course of action that will ensure a better quality of life to all human beings and set the world on the path to true progress?

“He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Is. 2: 4).

“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened , and a little child shall lead them… They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Is. 11: 6-9).

What the world needs is ‘enlightenment’ that leads to a ‘conversion of heart’ whereby all relationships are patterned on the values of God’s Kingdom and not on human wisdom alone. This will not happen unless there is an unconditional openness to God’s grace and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

In the ‘Act of Consecration to the Immaculate of Mary’ of Russia and Ukraine which Pope Francis called for on March 25, 2022 there was a clear indication that humanity as a whole and the leaders in particular have strayed away from the path of peace; therefore, there is need of repentance, a conversion of heart and plea for God’s forgiveness:

“Yet we have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars. We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young… We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and stockpile weapons… We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war and by our sins we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!”

To walk on the path of peace is to want to be ‘children of God’ as Christ Our has taught us (cf. Mt.

5: 9).

In the words of Our Lord, to be children of God and to be peacemakers is interconnected and interchangeable. The purpose of the Incarnation, of the Word becoming flesh and coming to dwell among us full of grace and truth (cf. Jn. 1:14) is to make us ‘children of God’ (cf. Jn. 1:12). Let us remember that, to be children of God, is to be ‘born of God’. It is to be ‘born again’ as Our Lord tells Nicodemus (cf. Jn. 3:3-7).

Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ and accepts his Gospel ‘sees’ the Kingdom of God i.e., has the vision of a new humanity immersed in the Holy Spirit and in the Holy Trinity. If we are immersed in the Holy Trinity, we cannot live according to the ‘flesh’ alone, or the mere human ways of seeing and behaving, what St. Paul calls the ‘wisdom of the world’ or the ‘old self’. We have been transferred from the ‘kingdom of darkness’ to the ‘kingdom of light’, from the ‘kingdom of death to eternal life’. This is the constant process of renewal and repentance that the Holy Spirit enables us to undergo, in order to become day by day more and more , the ‘children of God’. Our Lord has told us very emphatically: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 18: 3-4).

Violence and warfare are never absent from human history, however ‘civilized’ we may consider ourselves to be – and unfortunately, the more ‘civilized’ we claim to be, the more sophisticated weapons we produce for the destruction of humanity as the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine demonstrates.

In the midst of the communal divide we are experiencing in our own country, our inter-faith meetings for harmony and peace emphasize the need for building up a ‘peace force’ in our society representing all the religions, so that we don’t allow any forces to divide us. We have to stand together, hand in hand and heart to heart as one family where the bonds of love bind us all together as one nation, diverse of course in so many ways but ONE in our Indian identity.

More importantly, it has been pointed out that we need to overcome the ‘enemy within’ that sows the seeds of hatred and prejudice and injects poison in the way we look at each other and relate to each other. This I feel is the process of ‘inner renewal’ and ‘conversion of heart’ that is brought about when our hearts are open to God’s grace and truth and we walk on the path of childlikeness.

The parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ (cf. Lk. 10) is a demonstration par excellence of the way in which humanity is called to transcend social and man-made prejudices in order to be neighbours to one another. Pope Francis devotes a whole chapter to reflect on this parable in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti (Chapter Two – ‘A Stranger on the Road’).

Our Lord’s call to repentance is a call to conversion of heart which is indispensable to a true relationship with God, with oneself and with one another. It is not only a matter of traditions, ritual practices and liturgical rites over which we often spend so much of our time and energy but an entry into a new way of life, a new way of thinking, relating and acting, a new mindset and scale of values and priorities which, in other words, is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Only when there is a conversion of heart we can come together as brothers and sisters, irrespective of our religion, we can enter into each other’s religious experiences and learn from as well as be enriched by each other, we can transcend the walls of caste, class, gender, ethnicity, language etc. which separate us, we can look into each other’s eyes and know that we belong to the same humanity where LOVE should be the norm and service the lifestyle.

Through our daily centring on God’s Word we enter into our inner Self which is God himself, we touch the Source of our being, the Source of all knowledge and Wisdom, our God who is LOVE, the Sat-Chit-Ananda. We do not act anymore from our superficial and often broken self but from our true Self which is God in us.

Therefore, contemplative prayer is so essential for our inner healing and to bring God’s healing touch into our broken families and broken world.

Can we dream of such a new world which is healed and has become God’s kingdom? Yes, we can, and it’s also up to us to make it happen, to make it our vision and mission; but, as M. Basil Pennington, in the epilogue of his book Centring Prayer elaborates, we need to enter into our deep inner CENTRE to allow streams of love, peace and joy to flow from us. Centring Prayer is indispensable to building up peace in this world.

He says: “I have a dream. I see all the earth in peace, the whole human family living together, sharing the fruits of creation and the joy that comes from the good things of our planet and beyond. And this peace and joy, a universal compassion, flows within and out of the worldwide Christian family. Our brothers and sisters of other faiths, all people of good will, exclaim: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are the children of God.’ And each one of us Christians does indeed know, by personal experience, that he or she is a much-loved child of God. Our lives are filled with love and security, joy and peace. Each one is in touch with his or her own contemplative dimension. Busy days flow out of a deep centre. Space is found, time set apart, to enjoy a Father’s intimate loving presence and to let him enjoy us.”

In order to keep from losing ourselves and being totally dissipated and fragmented, we have to be in touch with our deeper selves, the ground of our being, and find our true selves in that unifying Source of Being. This is the secret of the unity of our individual being, of our families, of our communities, of the Church and the human society at large. Living in the Centre is a clear witness to the presence of the Holy Spirit in us.

Humanity is now vigorously exploring Mars and outer space in a bid to find life like ours outside our planet. Beautiful idea, but if at all beings like us do exist what will they want to learn from us – love or violence?

We may be familiar with little book Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The Little Prince has come from another planet and he meets a fox on the earth. The fox is afraid of the little prince and is reluctant to play with him because he is not ‘tamed’. The little prince does not understand the word ‘tame’ because on his planet there is no enmity and no fear of being killed. The fox goes on to explain to him the enmity that exists on the earth and how humans hunt the fox and the fox hunts chickens and so goes on the spiral of violence.

The beautiful words of the fox to the little prince: “To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world… But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow.”

May peace come in this world through the powerful intercession of Our Blessed Mother.

‘Martyrdom’ in its true meaning signifies ‘witnessing to Christ’. It is God’s grace, a gift to us from the day of our baptism, and also our task. These are the last words of Our Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples before his Ascension:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1: 8).

“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things” (Lk. 24: 46-47).

The Church in India has offered to the Universal Church some great saints who manifest the unique facets of sanctity and evangelical witness:

- St. Joseph Vaz, a model of evangelical courage in the midst of extremely difficult circumstances

- St. Alphonsa, a model of divine joy and unflinching fidelity to Christ within the monastery

- St. Mother Teresa of Kolkota, a model of evangelical love for the poorest of the poor

- Blessed Rani Maria, a model of firm commitment unto death for justice and human rights

- St. Devasagayam, a model of unshakeable Christian faith in the midst of tortures and pain.

The sealing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to us at Confirmation is to make us unswerving disciples of Christ who witness to him in all circumstances whether favourable or unfavourable. No amount of tortures, insults, indignities and pain inflicted on us can diminish our faith in Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life, the Resurrection and the Life, in whom we have placed all our trust. This is the courage the martyrs have shown throughout the history of the Church; therefore the Church places them as models and exemplars of true Christian discipleship, from whom we learn to say ‘yes’ to God’s will, which is first and foremost embodied in Jesus Christ our Lord.

We give praise and thanks to God that the Church in India has given a valiant martyr to the Universal Church in the person of St. Devasagayam, a layman canonised by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022. A son of Kottar in the present-day Tamilnadu and a devout Christian in the army of the King of Travancore he was arrested and subjected to the worst of tortures and ignominies for being a Christian for nearly three years and finally put to death on the orders of the king on the midnight of January 14, 1752 at the age of forty.

What do we learn from this great martyr of the Indian Church?

The very name Devasagayam, which he received at baptism, means ‘God is our help’. It stands for the Hebrew ‘Eleazar’ and the Greek ‘Lazaros’ – in other words, ‘we are beggars before God’, therefore nobody has the right to be ‘proud’ or ‘boastful’ in one’s life. As St. Paul exhorts us, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1Cor. 1: 31). After his conversion to Christ, he never again boasted about his moral or social or religious superiority but his utter dependence on God. This humility we learn from our Blessed Mother too in her Magnificat where she declares her nothingness before God and the marvellous ways in which he scatters the proud, brings down the mighty from their thrones and exalts those of humble estate.

St. Devasagayam manifests this humility in his life. Bishop Clemens Joseph of Cochin in his Ad Limina Visit to Pope Benedict XIV dated November 14, 1756 compares him to the ‘Eleazar’ of the Old Testament (cf. 2Macabees 6: 18-31) when he states: “I would certainly call him Eleazar rather than Lazarus, because like that most venerable old man, Devasagayam embraced a most glorious death rather than a detestable life and willingly faced punishment and died readily and courageously for the sake of the most weighty and most holy laws, leaving behind the memory of his death as an example of virtue and fortitude not only to the young, but to the whole people”.

His faith in Christ was so strong that no amount of force or threats or even death would deter him from openly professing his discipleship of Christ and obedience to him. He would rather embrace any kind of punishment than renounce his faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour; and in this he was a source of courage and strength to other Christians who were being harassed for their faith.

On February 23, 1749 he was arrested and put in a very narrow prison. When he was dragged and tortured the next day on the orders of the king, he was filled with a great heavenly joy like that of Stephen at his martyrdom (cf. Acts 7: 55-56) and the people who saw him wondered from where came this radiant joy on his face.

We read about the joy of the early Church in the midst of the bitter persecution raging against them: “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name” (Acts 5:41).

This kind of divine joy (and not mere happiness) which is invariably connected with peace is the precious gift Christ Our Lord has left for us, and it shines out not only when things are going well for us, but more specially when pain and suffering come into our lives. We remember the words of Our Lord at the Last Supper: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (Jn. 15: 11). These words have to do with our ‘abiding in him and his abiding in us’ like the ‘branches in the vine’ (cf. Jn. 15: 1-17). They also refer to the promise of the Holy Spirit to dwell with us forever: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (Jn. 14: 15-17).

When the Spirit of the Lord is dwelling in us - as St. Paul would emphasize – we bear the ‘fruit of the Spirit’, and this fruit is, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5: 22-23). All the saints and specially martyrs have demonstrated this fruit in their lives and particularly in their death.

In the midst of his most excruciating torments, he was a man of humour – this also is a mark of the saints, e.g., St. Thomas More joking with his executioner about the innocence of his long beard moments before the axe fell on his neck. When Devasagayam, was being paraded in the streets for sixteen consecutive days, seated on a buffalo with hands tied behind the back and made a butt of scorn and mockeries, he jokingly asked the constables whether they had ever seen a man more highly honoured by the king than he.

Through all this ignominy he was not broken but became a more ardent soldier of Christ testifying to his faith through his patience, joy and praises of God.

After the arrest and the parades his agony continued, but he never made any attempt to escape from his sufferings. This is how Bishop Clemens Joseph describes it:

“Left under the open sky, exposed to the burning sun, heavy rains, very cold north wind, and sometimes almost submerged in the mud, he endured very grievous sufferings until moved by pity the guards themselves constructed there a small hut made of palm leaves, so that he could be protected a little from the inclemency of the weather. For seven months he lay under a tree, hugging the tree itself with his legs bound in chains and tied to the tree with fetters, so that he could not move about or stand up or recline on the side, but was forced to sit up or to lie down on the back. After seven months he was loosed from the tree, but not from the fetters, with which he was kept bound till his death. In the midst of so many sufferings his only sorrow was the delay of death, the only fear that he might lose the crown of martyrdom. Far from requesting or desiring to be set free from the chains, he did not allow the guards to remove his fetters as they wanted to do when he was suffering from fever. And when one of those guards took the initiative to give him the chance to escape, he simply refused.”

His incarceration and his chains were for him an opportunity to deepen his communion with God in prayer and to contemplate the heavenly truths. He even read books on the lives of saints, and read them in a loud voice so that the bystanders could hear what he was reading. He fasted on Fridays and Saturdays, paying tribute to the Divine Saviour and his Blessed Mother.

Though it was difficult for priests to reach out to him in prison with the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion, he longed for them with the deepest humility and love for Christ and used to be overjoyed whenever the opportunity was granted to him by God.

People flocked to him in prison to see him, listen to him and even be touched by him; and God worked many miracles through him. The guards did not hinder those who came to see him and were themselves among those who were his venerators.

However, it was a new master of the guards who was totally opposed to this ‘veneration’ of the prisoner and, after having forbidden people from coming to meet him, he obtained an order from the king to execute Devasagayam secretly.

On the midnight of January 14, 1752, he was awakened by some soldiers as though summoned by the master of the guards, and, still in fetters, carried to the foot of the nearby mountain. He knew what was awaiting him, so he asked for some time to pray and, on bended knees, he prayed for fifteen minutes, after which he told the soldiers that he had done his duty and that they could go ahead with their intention. Five leaden bullets hit him. For the last time he uttered the familiar words, ‘Jesus save me’ and surrendered his soul into the hands of his Creator.

His body was thrown to beasts of the forest. It was only after a week or so that the Christians gathered the bones and buried them in the famous church of St. Francis Xavier in Kottar. Over the tomb a stone was laid to tell posterity about the treasure hidden beneath.

May this ‘treasure’ never cease to inspire us in our commitment to Christ and his Gospel.

The Word of God is the centre of our lives, the source and foundation of our Christian faith, hope and love, the lamp that illumines our path and lights up our way. When we read the Word of God we are not just reading a book but we are encountering our Risen Lord himself as it happened soon after the Resurrection – his disciples encountered him, i.e., met him personally and they could exclaim, “I have seen the Lord” (Jn. 20: 18), “My Lord and my God” (Jn. 20:28), “The Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon” (Lk. 24: 34). Therefore, we have to enthrone the Bible in our hearts first before we do so in the sanctuary of our churches and high pedestals in our homes.

The post-Resurrection experiences of the early Church are all centered on the Word of God. In the episode of the two demoralised disciples on their way to Emmaus after the tragic execution of Jesus of Nazareth (cf. Lk. 24: 13-35), the Risen Lord explains the Scriptures to them beginning from Moses and the Prophets which clearly foretold the sufferings of Christ and his entry into glory. Their hearts were indeed burning within them as he talked to them on the road and opened the Scriptures to them, and they recognized him in the breaking of the bread but he vanished from their sight. He breaks the Word to them and breaks the Bread too. This is the Holy Mass and the sum and substance of Christian life – our life has to be immersed in the Word and the Eucharist. We encounter the Risen Lord both in the Eucharist and in the Word. We cannot dichotomize the two. They are one right from the beginning of the Church as testified by the Apostolic writings and the Fathers of the Church.

In the Catholic tradition our Lord Jesus Christ, after his death, first went down to the realm of the dead and opened to those waiting for their redemption the doors of Paradise. An ancient homily for Holy Saturday from an unknown spiritual author describes the encounter of the Risen Lord with Adam and Eve dramatically. Adam, the first created man, sees the Lord and striking his breast in terror calls to all: ‘My Lord be with you all.’ And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light. I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise… But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.” (Office of Readings, Holy Saturday). This is how the Lord has broken the power of sin over us inherited from Adam and Eve. It is the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ, that now echoes the greeting of the Lord to Adam: ‘And with your spirit’.

So the encounter with the Risen Lord is always an experience of being freed from the clutches of sin and entering into the new life of the Resurrection. Today also the same experience as that of the two disciples to Emmaus should be ours as we read the Scriptures and participate in the Holy Mass: “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

Who enables this ‘burning of the heart’? It is the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts who makes Jesus’ words fire for us – fire and light. As Jesus has promised at the Last Supper, the Holy Spirit teaches us everything and brings to our remembrance all that he has spoken to us (cf. Jn 14: 26). Therefore, it is so important to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit and pray: ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love and renew the face of the earth’; ‘Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me, melt me, mould me, fill me, use me’.

We have the Spirit of Jesus in our hearts, and if we open our Bibles and listen, he will teach us from within, and our hearts, too, will burn within us.

This meditative or contemplative reading of the Bible is called the Lectio Divina i.e., divine reading, godly reading, or perhaps we could say, reading with God, with the Holy Spirit – walking with Jesus on the way and letting his Spirit within us set our hearts ablaze as the Scriptures are opened to us. Fr. M. Basil Pennington, the great spiritual master calls this method more than a mere ‘reading’ of the Scriptures, “it is prayer, a real communication with God that opens out to us the depths and heights – the depths of intimacy, the heights of transcendent contemplation” (M. Basil, Pennington, Centring Prayer, Bandra: St. Paul’s, 1998, p.165).

He goes on to explain the method:

“So we begin this method of sacred reading, of encounter with the Lord., by taking our Bible and reverencing it. We might kiss the book, or kneel before it for a moment, or just hold it reverently in our hands – making a fully human act of reverence, bringing the body into it. Then, having become fully aware of the Presence, we take a moment to ask the Holy Spirit dwelling in us to help us really hear the Lord as he speaks to us now – to set fire to our hearts.

Now, ready, we begin to listen, setting for ourselves, say ten minutes of time. It is not a question of reading a paragraph, a page, or a chapter. It is rather, sitting down with a Friend, the Lord, and letting him speak to us. We listen. And if what he says in the first word or the first sentence strikes us, we stop and let it sink in. We relish it. We respond from our heart. We enjoy it to the full before we move on. There is no hurry. We are sitting with our Friend for ten minutes – and who cannot afford to give his or her best Friend ten minutes in the course of the day? We let him speak. We really listen” (p. 165).

The secret is: even if we give Jesus only ten minutes each day to speak to us, to assure us of how much we are loved and cared for, to let us know that we have a sure Source of healing, of comfort, a hope and ultimate meaning, then such daily meetings will transform our lives .

As we listen to the Lord speaking to us powerfully through different passages and thank him for his love poured into our hearts, we also take a ‘word’ with us for our life; and we will return to this word and let it speak to us again and again, until it reveals more and more its message to us.

I was amazed at the way three little children of the Francophone community in Delhi who received the 1^st Holy Communion on April 23, 2022 told me that Jesus is telling them that they should love animals and protect nature; and the boy who received the sacrament of Confirmation said, Jesus is telling him to see God in every human person and the whole of God’s creation.

Our encounter with the Risen Lord will always take us from untruth to truth, from darkness to light, from hatred to love, from death to immortal life. It can never allow us to remain the same. We have to be ‘new’ persons.

There is a beautiful letter written in 1486 by St. Francis of Paola a hermit to his confreres. It contains the gist of our new life in Christ on the lines of St Paul’s teachings. His memory is celebrated on April 2. Born at Paola in Calabria in the year 1416, he founded a congregation of hermits which was later changed to the Order of Minims and received the approval of the Holy See in 1506. He died at Tours in France in 1507.

He writes:

“May Our Jesus Christ, who repays most generously, reward your labour. You must flee from evil, and drive away dangers. We and all our brothers, although unworthy, pray constantly to God the Father and to his Son Jesus Christ, as well as to Mary the Virgin Mother, to be with you as you seek the salvation of your souls and your bodies.

Brothers, I most strongly urge you to work for the salvation of your souls with prudence and diligence. Death is certain, and life is short and vanishes like smoke. Therefore, you just fix your minds on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ who so burned with love for us that he came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sakes he suffered all the agonies of body and mind, and did not shrink from any torment. He gave us a perfect example of patience and love. For our part, we too must be patient when things go against us.

Put aside hatred and hostility. See to it that you refrain from harsh words. But if you do speak them, do not be ashamed to apply the remedy from the same lips that inflicted the wounds. In this way you will show each other mercy and not keep alive the memories of past wrongs. Remembering grievances works great damage. It is accompanied by anger, fosters sin, and brings hatred for justice. It is a rusty arrow spreading poison in the soul. It destroys virtue and is a cancer in the mind. It thwarts prayer and mangles the petitions we make to God. It drives out love and is a nail driven into the soul, an evil that never sleeps, a sin that never fades away , a kind of daily death.

Be lovers of peace, the most precious treasure that anyone can desire. You are already aware that our sins drive God to anger, so you must repent of them, that God in his mercy may spare you. What men conceal is open to God. Turn to him with a sincere heart. Live in such a way that you bring upon yourselves the blessing of God, and that the peace of God our Father may be with you always” (Office of Readings for April 2 – optional memoria).

There cannot be a greater transformation of the human person than the above. – the result of our encounter with the Word, that is the Risen Lord himself, and it is this encounter on which are founded the greeting: ‘the Lord be with you’ and the response ‘with your spirit’ we use in the Holy Mass.

If we have encountered the Risen Lord we will keep the Word of God deep within our hearts as the very breath of our lives. This is the mark of a Christian who is with the Lord whether awake or asleep, absorbed in work or relaxing, in every thought, word and deed. There may be times, as Fr. Basil Pennington says, when during our reading, the Lord seemed to be absent and no word seemed to burn but later in the day, in the midst of our activity, he is suddenly there. And our heart burns within us. We cannot be his witnesses and proclaim his Gospel unless we have personally encountered HIM.

When our Lord told his disciples that they have to be the salt and light of the world he added: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is heaven” (Mt. 5: 16).

Pope Francis, in his Lenten Message 2022, has invited us to focus on the following passage from the letter of St. Paul to the Galatians: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:9-10).

Good works are the result of our justification by God in Jesus Christ; they testify to our sanctification by the Holy Spirit and they merit for us further graces from God which account for our growth in holiness of life and ultimately the rich reward of eternal life. Through our good works, we indeed ‘merit’ eternal life as the Church reminds us during the days of Lent and otherwise, but the merit itself is God’s grace – in fact, nothing is merited by us; everything we are and possess is the pure gift of God’s goodness and mercy. This also is the message of Lent – God’s greatness, mercy and love and our nothingness before God.

There is no doubt at all that our Christian faith is proved by ‘good works’ as St. James teaches us (cf. James 2:14-26). He says faith without works is useless and dead. It is not without reason that the Church insists on ‘almsgiving’ as part of our Lenten discipline, in addition to fasting and abstinence. Faith alone will not save us but faith combined with works will save us, i.e., to care for the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the destitute, the orphans, the widows, the stranger, the prisoners and those who are underprivileged, disadvantaged and marginalized (cf. Mt.25: 31-46).

Our Lord has stated very clearly that we are recognized by our ‘fruits’. He says, “So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit” (Mt. 7:17); “Either make a tree good and its fruit good or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit... The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil” (Mt. 12: 33). Again, our Lord declares that it is what comes from the heart that defiles a person – “evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Mt. 15: 19). The same truth St. Paul expands when he talks of the works of the flesh – “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Gal. 5:19-21). It is so very important to keep our hearts pure and childlike in order to “see God” (Mt. 5:8) and for others to see God in us.

We have to constantly ask ourselves, ‘what fruits do I bear in my life – good or bad or mixed?’ But the Lord does not brook vacillation between ‘yes, yes’ and ‘no, no’ at the same time. This is the way of the ‘flesh’. He would want us to be like him, always a ‘Yes’ to God’s will and plan- “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Cor. 1: 20). Let us remember these words of Our Lord: “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Mt. 5:37). Therefore, our life has to be always a ‘yes’ to good and ‘no’ to evil – never a ‘mix’ of good and evil.

The touchstone of our life’s goodness is the ‘fruits of the Holy Spirit’ which St. Paul mentions in the same letter to the Galatians: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal. 5:22). We will bear these fruits only if we abide in him and draw life from him

(cf. Jn. 15:1-11). In all his letters St. Paul places a mirror before us to examine our lives in the light of the Gospel and check whether we truly live the new life of the Spirit and have put on the ‘new self’ or we are still attached to the ‘old self’ that leads to death (cf. Col. 3).

The season of Lent is a golden opportunity given to us to renew our lives and embark on the part of doing good always. Our Holy Father Pope Francis in his message calls it Kairos i.e., the time of grace, the fulness of the present moment, the ALL that is now. Each moment has its own uniqueness its own fulness, its own quality. It is different from chronos which is what we call chronological time – the steady flow of minutes, hours, days, and years as they move along relentlessly, with steady unflagging pace, no matter what is going on, in a manner which is equalitarian, flat and unvarying. Describing Kairos, Basil Pennington, OSB, says “If we can enter into the school of Centering Prayer and are faithful to our lessons, we will, quicker than we expect, graduate into a life of Kairos, a life that is filled with luminous Presence, great peace, a constancy in joy: a veritable beginning of life eternal here on earth. May the Divine Master lead us all swiftly through these lessons, forming in us the mind and heart of Christ” [M. Basil Pennington, OCSO, Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Christian Prayer Form (Bandra: St. Pauls, 1998) p. 145].

Quoting St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Pope Francis affirms that Lent is that opportune time, the Kairos, for sowing goodness in view of a future harvest, although our entire existence is an opportune time of which Lent is only an image. He reminds us that all too often in our lives, greed, pride and the desire to possess, accumulate and consume have the upper hand, as we see from the story of the foolish man in the Gospel parable, who thought his life was safe and secure because of the abundant grain and goods he had stored in his barns (cf. Lk. 12:16-21); but that very night his soul was called to account, leaving behind a question that none can escape – “and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The Lord himself gives the moral of his parable: “So is the one (fool) who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God”. In the context of this parable what is the meaning of Lent for us? Lent invites us to conversion, to a change in mindset, so that life’s truth and beauty may be found not so much in possessing as in giving, not so much in accumulating as in sowing and sharing goodness – this is the wisdom of the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sowing seeds of goodness, kindness, compassion, peace and love will never be a wasteful exercise, though there will be struggles and difficulties like that of the farmer who experienced many setbacks till the good ground yielded “some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Mt. 13:8). According to how we have sowed, we will also reap a harvest. What kind of harvest? We will see hatred turning into love, forgiveness taking away resentment and anger, sadness turning into joy, enemies becoming friends, selfishness giving way to selflessness, greed being replaced by divine generosity, walls of separation crumbling, a sick and putrefying environment attaining once again the infusion of new life leading to robust health of body, mind and spirit and darkness of sin and evil being driven away by the glorious splendour of the Lord’s resurrection. However, what we experience here on earth is only the foretaste of the ultimate fulfilment of this ‘harvest’ in the joy of God’s Kingdom when God will be “all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28).

St Paul tells us, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully … for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:6 -7). To be cheerful givers is our calling.

This is the miracle of listening to God’s word and being docile to his working in our lives - we bear fruit which brings us joy and summons us to become God’s co-workers (cf. 1 Cor. 3:9) in this world. We live our lives not in a shortsighted way as if this world alone is the end, but with a vision that sets our sights on eternal life, on the ‘treasure in heaven’ (cf. Lk. 12:33; 18:22). It is this vision of eternity made possible by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ that gives meaning to our self-denial, our taking up the cross to follow Jesus, our loving and forgiving as he did, our seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (cf. Mt. 6:33), our wanting to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (cf. Mt. 5:48). Those who are intimately united to Christ in love “by dying a death like his” (Rom. 6:5) will also be united to his resurrection for eternal life (cf. Jn. 5:29). “Then the upright will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Mt. 13:43).

Only when we fix our gaze on the Risen Christ (cf. Heb. 12:2) will we be able to respond to St. Paul’s appeal: “Let us never grow weary of doing good” (Gal. 6:9), because this is the promise of God right from the Old Testament: “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Is. 40:29-31).

Pope Francis sums up his message with four apt exhortations of ‘not growing weary’:

i. Let us not grow tired of praying. Jesus taught us to “pray always without becoming weary” (Lk. 18:1). We need to pray because we need God. Thinking that we need nothing other than ourselves is a dangerous illusion – the pandemic has taught us this.

ii. Let us not grow tired of uprooting evil from our lives . May the corporal fasting to which Lent calls us fortify our spirit for the battle against sin.

iii. Let us not grow tired of doing good in active charity towards our neigbours . During this Lent, may we practice almsgiving by giving joyfully (cf. 2 Cor. 9:7).

iv. Goodness, together with love, justice and solidarity, are not achieved once and for all ; they have to be realized each day. Let us ask God to give us the patient perseverance of the farmer (cf. James 5:7), and to persevere in doing good, one step at a time.

We may not have always been conscious of it - the call to preserve our ecology and environment and care for the integrity of God’s creation has always been inbuilt in the call to REPENTANCE and new life in Christ. To respond to the summons of God’s grace and truth and become true disciples of Christ our Divine Master in the power of His Spirit is to be reconciled with God, with oneself, with one another and with nature. Christ’s commandment to love another as he has loved us can never lead us to destroy God’s creation, but to love it, sustain it, build it and use it for the good of all. Harmony with God-harmony-in our hearts-harmony with one another-harmony wit nature is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts individually and collectively and the ultimate goal of humanity and the whole of God’s creation.

The annual Lenten Campaign against Hunger and Disease of the Church in India carried through Caritas India focuses this year (2022) on the theme : HEALTHY PLANET – HEALTHY LIFE. It is situated in the context of the 2015 encyclical letter Laudato Si (Care of our Common Home) of Pope Francis. This encyclical has highlighted the overall decline in human life due to pollution, climate change, lack of clean water and loss of biodiversity, especially in the last two hundred years. This encyclical has also established the inseparable link between ‘environment justice’ and ‘social justice’ and has exhorted the world to ‘hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’.

The raison d’être for this theme, as set forth in the statement put out by Caritas India, is very obvious. The global ‘climate change’ that humanity is currently facing has no other reason than the woundedness and traumatization of Mother Earth due to the “greedy, selfish and apathetic exploitation of her wealth by humanity”. It says: “Human beings have destroyed the grandeur of nature, a citadel that nourishes the spirit of humanity, in their never-ending quest for comfort and pleasure. Man has pushed the earth to the brink by engineering biodiversity loss, increasing pollution, ecosystem collapse and climate change. The extensive damage to the environment is a crying testimony of how human beings have conveniently forgotten their God-given duty to be responsible stewards of the earth and all that it contains”.

If corrective and constructive measures are not urgently taken to arrest the dangerous climate change and the plummeting air quality levels – which are the early signs of annihilation – we may actually be hurtling towards complete destruction of our planet.

The world needs to realise that our planet earth is endowed with everything that is needed to sustain life of humans and other beings, therefore we cannot afford to miss this last opportunity to repair and protect the earth through a spiritual and cultural transformation that will pay due respect to the ‘equilibrium’ that God placed in the nature at the very beginning of creation. Only when the planet earth is healthy, biodiversity can thrive and humanity can get the resources for its sustenance and survival.

How beautifully the Book of Genesis describes the mystery of creation and the responsibility God gave to Adam and Eve to have dominion over the whole of God’s creation and to use it for the welfare of their posterity by maintaining the ‘goodness’ God saw in the work of his hands and the order he put therein – until the Evil One came to tempt them and sow disorder. That disobedience to God’s command on the part of our first parents is what we call the ‘original sin’, the brokenness we have all inherited but which has been healed by the ‘obedience’ of Christ which we particularly meditate upon during the days of Lent.

The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes of Vatican Council II puts it very clearly and insightfully in several paragraphs that all human activity should be in accordance with God’s will and plan:

“Man (sic) was created in God’s image and was commanded to conquer the earth with all it contains and to rule the world in justice and holiness: he was to acknowledge God as maker of all things and relate himself and the totality of creation to him, so that through the dominion of all things by man the name of God would be majestic in all the earth” (No. 34).

“This holds good also for our daily work. When men and women provide for themselves and their families in such a way as to be of service to the community as well, they can rightly look upon their work as a prolongation of the work of the creator, a service to their fellowmen, and their personal contribution to the fulfilment in history of the divine plan” (No. 34).

“Human activity proceeds from man (sic); it is also ordered to him. When he works, not only does he transform matter and society, but he fulfils himself… It is what a man is, rather than what he has, that counts. Technical progress is of less value than advances towards greater justice, wider brotherhood, and a more humane social environment. Technical progress may supply the material for human advance but it is powerless to actualize it” (No. 35).

“Here then is the norm for human activity – to harmonize with the authentic interests of the human race, in accordance with God’s will and design, and to enable men (sic) as individuals and as members of society to pursue and fulfil their total vocation” (No. 35).

However, our progress has also caused disorder in the hierarchy of values due to human selfishness and greed, but the redeeming sacrifice of Christ has opened the way for God’s Kingdom to be established through humanity’s individual and collective repentance and openness to God’s grace in Christ which carries within it the unshakeable hope of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

“So it is that the earth has not yet become the scene of true brotherhood; rather, man’s (sic) swelling power at the present time threatens to put an end to the human race itself” (No. 37).

“The whole of man’s history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day… To the question of how this unhappy situation can be overcome, Christians reply that all these human activities, which are daily endangered by pride and inordinate self-love, must be purified and perfected by the cross and resurrection of Christ. Redeemed by Christ and made a new creature by the Holy Spirit, man (sic) can, indeed he must, love the things of God’s creation; it is from God that he has received them, and it is as flowing from God’s hand that he looks upon them and reveres them “ (No. 37).

“We have been warned, of course, that it profits man nothing if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself. Far from diminishing our concern to develop this earth, the expectancy of a new human family grows, foreshadowing in some way the age which is to come. That is why, although we must be careful to distinguish earthly progress clearly from the increase of the kingdom of Christ, such progress is of vital concern to the kingdom of God, insofar as it can contribute to the better ordering of human society” (No. 39).

“When we have spread on earth the fruits of our nature, and our enterprise – human dignity, brotherly communion and freedom – according to the command of the Lord and in his Spirit, we will find them once again, cleansed this time from the stain of sin, illuminated and transfigured, when Christ presents to his Father an eternal and universal kingdom ‘of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.’ Here on earth the kingdom is mysteriously present; when the Lord comes it will enter into his perfection” (No. 39).

From the above, we realize how important is the holy Season of Lent for the transformation of our lives individually, for the healing of the family and of our society and for the health of the entire human planet earth . Every year this season renews the call to repentance and new life, lest we perish through our disobedience and sin, opens the eyes of our heart to all areas of our life which are ultimately related to the HEART as the centre of our will, our desires, our choices, and our decision-making. The grace received in the heart flows to all the areas of our life and influences every aspect of our thinking, willing, and acting. The traditional Lenten practices of fasting, abstinence, intense prayer and almsgiving all point in this direction – to make us new persons in Christ, who radiate the love of God in this world and who work to create a harmonious world in the line of God’s Kingdom where God’s righteousness and truth, justice and peace have made their home.

Let us enthusiastically take part in the Lenten Campaign HEALTHY PLANET - HEALTHY LIFE which reminds us to be peaceful with ourselves and with nature. It exhorts us to promote rich biodiversity in our ecosystem in order to re-establish the missing link between human beings and the environment. It invites us to constructive actions for the rejuvenation of nature. It calls us toecological conversion and the establishment of an authentic human ecology at the level of the individual, of the family, of the nation and the whole earth.

It is good to remember that the Church in India is at the forefront of the ecological conscientization and the CCBI Commission for Ecology is constantly talking of ‘green dioceses’. In this connection we are glad that our Archdiocese has a developed an eco-spirituality centre of excellence called Ish Vatika, at Mitrao-Kair (Najafgarh), under the visionary and creative leadership of Fr. Stanley Kozhichira. I urge our people to visit this beautiful green centre of spiritual regeneration. Another eco-spiritual centre is situated at Dharuhera (Haryana) which houses the Mata Mariam Catholic Church, the St. Joseph Vaz Oratory and the Prabhu Yesu Ashram. The dynamic and energetic Fr. Mathew P.J. is the director of this centre. Three other centres are also fast emerging – at Bilaspur (Gurgaon), Boda Kalan (Gurgaon) and Ganaur (Sonipat). All these places need our prayerful support and encouragement.

We may not have always been conscious of it - the call to preserve our ecology and environment and care for the integrity of God’s creation has always been inbuilt in the call to REPENTANCE and new life in Christ. To respond to the summons of God’s grace and truth and become true disciples of Christ our Divine Master in the power of His Spirit is to be reconciled with God, with oneself, with one another and with nature. Christ’s commandment to love another as he has loved us can never lead us to destroy God’s creation, but to love it, sustain it, build it and use it for the good of all. Harmony with God-harmony-in our hearts-harmony with one another-harmony wit nature is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts individually and collectively and the ultimate goal of humanity and the whole of God’s creation.

The annual Lenten Campaign against Hunger and Disease of the Church in India carried through Caritas India focuses this year (2022) on the theme : HEALTHY PLANET – HEALTHY LIFE. It is situated in the context of the 2015 encyclical letter Laudato Si (Care of our Common Home) of Pope Francis. This encyclical has highlighted the overall decline in human life due to pollution, climate change, lack of clean water and loss of biodiversity, especially in the last two hundred years. This encyclical has also established the inseparable link between ‘environment justice’ and ‘social justice’ and has exhorted the world to ‘hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’.

The raison d’être for this theme, as set forth in the statement put out by Caritas India, is very obvious. The global ‘climate change’ that humanity is currently facing has no other reason than the woundedness and traumatization of Mother Earth due to the “greedy, selfish and apathetic exploitation of her wealth by humanity”. It says: “Human beings have destroyed the grandeur of nature, a citadel that nourishes the spirit of humanity, in their never-ending quest for comfort and pleasure. Man has pushed the earth to the brink by engineering biodiversity loss, increasing pollution, ecosystem collapse and climate change. The extensive damage to the environment is a crying testimony of how human beings have conveniently forgotten their God-given duty to be responsible stewards of the earth and all that it contains”.

If corrective and constructive measures are not urgently taken to arrest the dangerous climate change and the plummeting air quality levels – which are the early signs of annihilation – we may actually be hurtling towards complete destruction of our planet.

The world needs to realise that our planet earth is endowed with everything that is needed to sustain life of humans and other beings, therefore we cannot afford to miss this last opportunity to repair and protect the earth through a spiritual and cultural transformation that will pay due respect to the ‘equilibrium’ that God placed in the nature at the very beginning of creation. Only when the planet earth is healthy, biodiversity can thrive and humanity can get the resources for its sustenance and survival.

How beautifully the Book of Genesis describes the mystery of creation and the responsibility God gave to Adam and Eve to have dominion over the whole of God’s creation and to use it for the welfare of their posterity by maintaining the ‘goodness’ God saw in the work of his hands and the order he put therein – until the Evil One came to tempt them and sow disorder. That disobedience to God’s command on the part of our first parents is what we call the ‘original sin’, the brokenness we have all inherited but which has been healed by the ‘obedience’ of Christ which we particularly meditate upon during the days of Lent.

The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes of Vatican Council II puts it very clearly and insightfully in several paragraphs that all human activity should be in accordance with God’s will and plan:

“Man (sic) was created in God’s image and was commanded to conquer the earth with all it contains and to rule the world in justice and holiness: he was to acknowledge God as maker of all things and relate himself and the totality of creation to him, so that through the dominion of all things by man the name of God would be majestic in all the earth” (No. 34).

“This holds good also for our daily work. When men and women provide for themselves and their families in such a way as to be of service to the community as well, they can rightly look upon their work as a prolongation of the work of the creator, a service to their fellowmen, and their personal contribution to the fulfilment in history of the divine plan” (No. 34).

“Human activity proceeds from man (sic); it is also ordered to him. When he works, not only does he transform matter and society, but he fulfils himself… It is what a man is, rather than what he has, that counts. Technical progress is of less value than advances towards greater justice, wider brotherhood, and a more humane social environment. Technical progress may supply the material for human advance but it is powerless to actualize it” (No. 35).

“Here then is the norm for human activity – to harmonize with the authentic interests of the human race, in accordance with God’s will and design, and to enable men (sic) as individuals and as members of society to pursue and fulfil their total vocation” (No. 35).

However, our progress has also caused disorder in the hierarchy of values due to human selfishness and greed, but the redeeming sacrifice of Christ has opened the way for God’s Kingdom to be established through humanity’s individual and collective repentance and openness to God’s grace in Christ which carries within it the unshakeable hope of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

“So it is that the earth has not yet become the scene of true brotherhood; rather, man’s (sic) swelling power at the present time threatens to put an end to the human race itself” (No. 37).

“The whole of man’s history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day… To the question of how this unhappy situation can be overcome, Christians reply that all these human activities, which are daily endangered by pride and inordinate self-love, must be purified and perfected by the cross and resurrection of Christ. Redeemed by Christ and made a new creature by the Holy Spirit, man (sic) can, indeed he must, love the things of God’s creation; it is from God that he has received them, and it is as flowing from God’s hand that he looks upon them and reveres them. Man thanks his divine benefactor for all these things, he uses them and enjoys them in a spirit of poverty and freedom; thus he is brought to a true possession of the world as having nothing yet possessing everything: ‘All (things) are yours; and you are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s’ (1Cor. 2:22-23)” (No. 37).

“We have been warned, of course, that it profits man nothing if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself. Far from diminishing our concern to develop this earth, the expectancy of a new human family grows, foreshadowing in some way the age which is to come. That is why, although we must be careful to distinguish earthly progress clearly from the increase of the kingdom of Christ, such progress is of vital concern to the kingdom of God, insofar as it can contribute to the better ordering of human society” (No. 39).

“When we have spread on earth the fruits of our nature, and our enterprise – human dignity, brotherly communion and freedom – according to the command of the Lord and in his Spirit, we will find them once again, cleansed this time from the stain of sin, illuminated and transfigured, when Christ presents to his Father an eternal and universal kingdom ‘of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.’ Here on earth the kingdom is mysteriously present; when the Lord comes it will enter into his perfection” (No. 39).

From the above, we realize how important is the holy Season of Lent for the transformation of our lives individually, for the healing of the family and of our society and for the health of the entire human planet earth . Every year this season renews the call to repentance and new life, lest we perish through our disobedience and sin, opens the eyes of our heart to all areas of our life which are ultimately related to the HEART as the centre of our will, our desires, our choices, and our decision-making. The grace received in the heart flows to all the areas of our life and influences every aspect of our thinking, willing, and acting. The traditional Lenten practices of fasting, abstinence, intense prayer and almsgiving all point in this direction – to make us new persons in Christ, who radiate the love of God in this world and who work to create a harmonious world in the line of God’s Kingdom where God’s righteousness and truth, justice and peace have made their home.

Let us enthusiastically take part in the Lenten Campaign HEALTHY PLANET - HEALTHY LIFE which reminds us to be peaceful with ourselves and with nature. It exhorts us to promote rich biodiversity in our ecosystem in order to re-establish the missing link between human beings and the environment. It invites us to constructive actions for the rejuvenation of nature. It calls us toecological conversion and the establishment of an authentic human ecology at the level of the individual, of the family, of the nation and the whole earth.

Every year the Pope sends a message for the World Day of Peace on January 1. This year 2022 Pope Francis has focused on education, work and dialogue between generations as tools to building lasting peace on earth. I would like to highlight the last one – ‘ dialogue between generations’ as one of the most important tools in today’s context.

This theme in a way re-echoes what Pope Francis had already said in his 2020 Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship) in Chapter VI “Dialogue and Friendship in Society”. He describes dialogue as approaching, speaking, listening, looking at, coming to know and understand one another, and to find common ground. If we want to encounter and help one another, we have to dialogue. Some people attempt to flee from reality, taking refuge in their own little world; others react to it with destructive violence. Yet, between selfish indifference and violent protest, there is always another possible option: that of dialogue; but authentic dialogue always aims at the truth, not personal interest or advantage.

The way of dialogue is the only way to peace. There are no two ways about it. The history of humanity tells us that enmity and conflict, violence, war and bloodshed can only be healed through dialogue that brings people face to face with each other across the table. When the intentions are pure, there is nothing to hide, and all cards are laid on the table honestly and transparently, dialogue is bound to succeed for the betterment of the huma society.

Of course, dialogue can never succeed where humility is lacking and egos are strong and unbending. Pride and arrogance will never allow genuine dialogue to take place; all attempts will fail and parties will continue to remain in their pain and misery with little to offer for their own and other’s well-being; but when genuine dialogue takes place it opens the floodgates of love, peace and joy which make all the difference for our homes to become like the Holy Family of Nazareth and the world to be the new heaven and the new earth.

This secret is true not only at the level of nations but every level down the line and fundamentally at the level of the family where paradoxically misunderstandings crop up where love should have been the norm.

Our Lord’s teachings on love, reconciliation, childlikeness, forgiveness, peace etc. all point to dialogue as the way to living a truly human life which is also divine.

St. Paul exhorts us, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26); “…bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Col. 3:13).

There is no doubt the Pope’s call for a dialogue between generations applies first to every family where the ‘generation gap’ is often most keenly experienced giving rise to tensions within the family.

Such tensions are also felt in schools, colleges, seminaries, formation houses, among the clergy and in society at large.

‘Generation gap’ is a reality in our society beginning from the home. Parents and elders often glorify their own past with critical comments about ‘today’s generation’ and the young people pigeon-hole the elderly as ‘old-fashioned’ and ‘out of tune’ with the times.

Soon after Vatican Council II (1962-1965) and the renewal it brought about in all sectors of the Church a divide arose between those who had a ‘pre-Vatican II’ mindset and those who followed the changes introduced by Vatican II. This divide evidently still continues creating bad blood within the Catholic Church.

The synodal process we have begun will certainly show us the way, in the light of the Holy Spirit, as to how to hold these tensions together in balance and integrate them in our life’s journey without giving way to division.

Therefore, the synod is a learning process for all – the elderly, the adults, the young, the children. All have to learn to listen to one another with the utmost respect, reverence and love. This is the true nature of the Church from the hierarchy to the smallest child and vice-versa. If, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we endeavour to live this way of life day in and day out, the Church will certainly witness to the new life of Easter which is the identity of every Christian in Baptism and of the whole Church of Christ as the Body of Christ.

In order to build peace in the world the Pope’s message proposes ‘ dialogue between generations’ as the way forward, and this especially during the health crisis unleashed by the Covid -19 pandemic, with all the untold problems it has created.

An honest dialogue, in addition to a correct and positive exchange of views, demands basic trust between participants. We need to learn to regain this mutual trust. In the context of the Covid -19 pandemic there has been an increased sense of isolation and a tendency to self-absorption. While the elderly experience a greater sense of loneliness, the young have to contend with a greater sense of helplessness and lack of shared vision about the future. This is not to deny that the crisis has helped to bring out the best in people, particularly the young, in terms of compassion, sharing and solidarity in every part of the world.

“Dialogue entails listening to one another, sharing different views, coming to agreement and walking together. Promoting such a dialogue between generations involves breaking up the hard and barren soil of conflict and indifference in order to sow the seeds of a lasting and shared peace.”

Despite the divide between generations created by technological and economic development, the current Covid-19 crisis shows the urgent need for an inter-generational partnership. What does this partnership entail?

“Yong people need the wisdom and experience of the elderly, while those who are older need the support, affection, creativity and dynamism of the young”.

Pope Francis calls the elderly ‘keepers of memory’ and the young ‘those who move history forward’. Therefore, the young must remember that there was a ‘past’, and the elderly that there is a ‘future’:

“Each must be willing to make room for others and not to insist on monopolizing the entire scene by pursuing their own immediate interests, as if there were no past and no future.”

The current global health crisis calls for a healthy politics based on encounter and dialogue between generations, with love as its outstanding form.

If, amid difficulties, we can practice this kind of intergenerational dialogue, “we can be firmly rooted in the present, and from here, revisit the past and look to the future. To revisit the past in order to learn from history and heal old wounds that at times still trouble us. To look to the future in order to nourish our enthusiasm, cause dreams to emerge, awaken prophecies and enable hope to blossom. Together, we can learn from one another. For without roots, how can trees grow and bear fruit?”

A very important and indispensable dimension of the intergenerational dialogue is the ‘care for our common home’ i.e., planet earth which is often uppermost in the hearts of the young people. They are deeply concerned about ecology and the need to protect and nurture our environment and pass it on to the next generation.

“We need to esteem and encourage all those young people who work for a more just world, one that is careful to safeguard the creation entrusted to our stewardship. They go about this with restlessness, enthusiasm and most of all a sense of responsibility before the urgent change of direction required by the challenges emerging from the present ethical and socio-environmental crisis.”

Can we say, dialogue is the mark of civilized society, even though our experience says the opposite? When differences and conflicts arise, violence, vengeance and brutality are never the solution to bring about a reconciliation, but dialogue - and continuous dialogue – is certainly the way to lasting peace; and peace is what our human heart most longs for. From all angles, peace is the only means to true human development from God’s perspective. Therefore, it is not without reason that the angels sang the song of peace when Our Lord was born, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Lk. 2:14), clearly stating that peace dwells in the people of ‘goodwill’ i.e., in hearts that are humble, childlike, pure and filled with love.

The path of salvation Christ has taught us is the path of peace through dialogue.

The synodal process is engaging the entire Catholic Church in moments of intense listening and dialogue, reflection and prayer, reconciliation and healing. Perhaps the synodal strains will last the whole of 2022 as the year progresses and we will have covered the significant stages of the journey towards the diocesan synod and beyond. There is no doubt, very important and lasting lessons will be learnt for our life as Christians both individually and collectively through the synodal process. It is important to keep before our eyes at the very start of the New Year 2022 the inalienable dimensions of our life as disciples of Christ and members of the Church brought to the fore by the synodal process. I can see LISTENING as the one main lesson the synodal process is teaching us.

LISTENING is the pivot on which the entire synod revolves and is the very being of the Church. As members of the one Body of Christ we are called to listen to one another without prejudice and this requires an open mind and heart and also humility. The Gospel clearly leads us in this direction without mincing words. For instance, the Beatitudes (cf. Mt. 5: 3-11).

Listening is the quality of the People of God irrespective of the offices we hold within the Body of Christ or the socio-economic status we enjoy in society; nobody is excluded and nobody is on the ‘periphery’ or ‘marginalized’. In order to listen to one another in dialogue we have to come out of our isolation and be ready to meet with one another, sit together, respect one another, appreciate one another, affirm the other’s dignity and give value to what each one is sharing without the slightest hint of making the other feel uncomfortable. We listen to the other person as ‘person’ with his/her feelings, emotional needs, life’s background, experiences to share and ideas to convey. This kind of an attitude makes for healthy relationships within a community and builds up self-confidence in the hearts of all participants. It is in listening together that we come to know that we are ‘walking’ or ‘journeying’ together. ‘Listening’ requires an effort but the effort is never impossible by the grace of God.

The Church is communion, and listening is of the very essence of communion. By listening we build up our communion at every level beginning from the family. We cannot communicate when we are not listening to one another and without communication there is no communion and without communion there is no love and vice-versa. If our relationships have to be strengthened, we need to listen to one another which demands that we meet each other face to face. When we are ready to listen, our prejudices begin to disappear, walls begin to crumble, positive energy is generated and a healthy environment is created for acceptance of each other in true friendship and the love and affection that should define the life of the children of God.

The ‘Small Christian Community’ is the right locus for the members of the Church to listen to one another as disciples of Christ but the purpose will never be fulfilled if all people of God living in a neighbourhood do not come together to share the Gospel with one another. We may not have seriously pondered over this truth - resistance to the Small Christian Community is resistance to the Holy Spirit who never ceases to challenge us to that true unity and communion in Christ into which we are inserted through Baptism.

In the Acts of the Apostles the nascent Church born in the Holy Spirit is beautifully described as a communion or fellowship in which the members listen to the Holy Spirit, to the Word, to the Apostles and to one another. It is this ‘listening’ that enables them to hold “all things in common” (Acts 2:44) and at the same time be powerful witnesses of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ whereby “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

‘Discernment of spirits’ is an inseparable part of listening. In fact, communion-listening- participation-discernment of spirits-mission are inter-related and inter-changeable. We have to constantly ask ourselves from which ‘spirit’ our thoughts, words and actions emanate - from the Spirit of God or from the spirit of sin within me, my broken self. The Preparatory Document for the Synod mentions as ‘emblematic’ in the discernment of spirits the episode of Cornelius and Peter (cf. Acts 10: 1-33) and the event of the ’Council of Jerusalem’ (cf. Acts: 15). Both these happenings constitute a crucial reference point for a synodal Church.

The episode of Cornelius and Peter is a powerful testimony to the way in which the Spirit is leading Cornelius to Christ and Peter also to a conversion from his former very narrow and exclusivist vision of faith to the new inclusivist and universal vision of God’s Kingdom revealed in the death and resurrection of Christ and the outpouring of his Spirit on the Apostles, the Church and the whole world. Both Cornelius and Peter then involve other people in their journey of conversion, making them companions in their journey. The apostolic action accomplishes God’s will by creating community, breaking down barriers and promoting encounters. Both listen to the Spirit together who leads them to listen to each other and involve others to do the same so that all come to know the true nature of the Church.

So also, the Council of Jerusalem is a process of discernment that consists of listening together to the Spirit. Together the Apostolic College discerned that the Gentiles who enter the Church do not need to be circumcised and to keep the Law of Moses as long they believe in their hearts and confess with their lips that Jesus Christ is Lord.

We must have realized it – when we listen to one another with patience and sense of affirmation and acceptance of the other we also listen to ourselves. Listening to ourselves is indispensable to building communion and participation which the synodal process is asking of us. The deeper we enter into ourselves the more we touch the sources of our joy and our pain, the reason for our behaviour and attitudes, the ‘why’ of the good and bad part of us and the path we need to take in order to forgive, to love unconditionally, to change our perspectives and to become persons who are fully human and fully alive.

To Listen is to Heal by Albert J. Nimeth (Better Yourself Books, Bandra, 1988) is a little but deeply reflective book on Listening. Chapter 4 is on listening to ourselves:

Listening to Ourselves is a way to help heal ourselves. To achieve peace of mind, to gain a measure of contentment, we have to listen to the answers we give to these questions: Who am I? What am I? Why am I? Where am I going? How do I get there? If we listen to our answers, we get a deeper understanding of our uniqueness. Each of us has a fund of gifts. Each of us has special talents. Each of us has individual opportunities. To underestimate our true worth creates hurt. To heal the hurt we have to accept our real worth. To be sure we all have our hang-ups and foibles. These often are confused and confusing. We have to learn to distinguish between the real and imaginary. If we listen carefully, we will stop beating the air; we will stop wasting time in pointless struggle. If we listen to ourselves, we keep in touch with past memories of successes. These memories beget confidence for the present and future. The challenge is to really listen… No two snowflakes are alike, yet each is beautiful. No two sunsets are alike yet each is glorious. No two human beings are alike yet each has a glory; each has a beauty we must accept and appreciate. When we listen to ourselves carefully, honestly, we discover our glory, our beauty. It is healing to listen to ourselves.

There is no gainsaying the fact that we will never be able to listen to one another and to ourselves unless we listen to God speaking to us in the depths of our hearts. Therefore, the Word of God, prayer and silence are indispensable for our Christian life of discipleship, communion, participation and mission.

The synodal process is encouraging us to be a community of prayer individually and collectively in the way Christ our Lord has taught us to pray by his word and his example.

At his baptism which happened along with all other ‘ordinary’ people who were being baptized Jesus is seen praying (cf. Lk. 3:21). Soon after his baptism he is led by the Spirit into the desert to pray and fast for forty days and forty nights and overcome the temptations of the evil one by his communion with the Father. Again, before choosing his twelve Apostles he spent the whole night in prayer (cf. Lk. 6:12). Before teaching us the ‘Our Father’ Jesus was “praying in a certain place” and when had finished one of the disciples asked him “Lord, teach us to pray” (cf. Lk. 11:1), and so he teaches the ‘Our Father’. Knowing that he would be arrested and condemned to death Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives, according to his custom, to pray and be in communion with the Father in his agony during which he sweated blood. The disciples followed him and at that moment he exhorts them “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt. 26:40). His seven last words on the cross are his final prayer to the Father in which stands out his cry of forgiveness, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34) and having accomplished his mission on earth he surrenders his spirit into the hands of the Father saying, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (cf. Lk. 23:46) and breathes his last.

Through his life, death and resurrection Jesus our Lord has revealed to us the great truth that prayer is to be in communion with the Father as he was in communion with the Father all his life unto the last. This is ultimately what prayer is: “that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father” (Jn. 10: 38). He has called us to abide in him like the branches in the vine (cf. Jn 15: 1-17) and this communion of ours is in the Holy Trinity – the Father-Son and Spirit (cf. Jn 14:23).

In the midst of the interior and exterior cacophony we need interior and exterior silence and contemplation to enter into this communion with the Holy Trinity which is the foundation of the Church. Then and then only will we be the People of God that listens to the Holy Spirit.

THE SYNODAL PATH – GRATITUDE, HEALING, JOY

As we come to the close of the year 2021 myriad thoughts would definitely cross our minds but three should be uppermost –gratitude, healing and joy. These are germane to the synodal path we have embarked upon, a path that is re-awakening in us our baptismal calling in the Holy Spirit tocommunion, participation and mission.

Synodality calls us to ‘listen to the Holy Spirit by listening to one another’, therefore the synodal process we have begun is a God-given time ( kairos) to discover together each one’s responsibility towards the building up of the Church and human society. First and foremost, we are grateful to God for the over hundred-year journey we have already covered as People of God in this area ever since we were part of the Agra Mission. Along the way we have experiences of joy but also of difficulties and obstacles coupled with hope-filled insights for the future; and there may also be ‘wounds’ that have come to light, but we cannot obviously allow the wounds to fester and poison us – they have to be healed if we wish to live a healthy life of harmony of the body, mind and spirit. The synodal process is a process of healing - a process that begins primarily in the family and spreads therefrom to all other levels of the Church and society.

We know the number of times St. Paul exhorts us to be thankful to God which is the key to forgiveness and opens for us the door to living in love, peace and joy which are the fruits of the Holy Spirit (e.g., Col. 3: 12-17; Phil. 4: 4-7; Gal. 5: 22-26).

‘Gratitude’ as beautifully described in the conversation between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama (cf. The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World) is the foundation of joy. It is the recognition of all that holds us in the web of life and all that has made it possible to have life that we have and the moment that we are experiencing. It allows us to shift and widen our perspective from complaining and grumbling about our hurts, unpleasant experiences and misfortunes to counting our blessings. The conversation between the two spiritual giants carries a quote from Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Catholic Benedictine monk, who is a scholar in Buddhist-Christian dialogue:

“It is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy. Every moment is a gift. There is no certainty that you will have another moment, with all the opportunity that it contains. The gift within every gift is the opportunity it offers us. Most often it is the opportunity to enjoy it, but sometimes a difficult gift is given to us and that can be an opportunity to rise to the challenge.”

The Dalai Lama was able to be grateful despite the vicissitudes of his exile from Tibet and becoming a refugee in India. He learnt that the door to joy was to gratefully accept the reality without fighting it but by embracing it. So also, Archbishop Tutu learnt to develop empathy and compassion for others by being grateful to God in the midst of his tremendous sufferings during the struggle against apartheid.

There is the moving story of Anthony Ray Hinton mentioned in the book, who spent thirty years on death row in the state of Alabama (USA) for a crime he did not commit. He spent thirty years in a five-by-seven-foot cell in solitary confinement, allowed out only one hour a day. When a unanimous Supreme Court ruling ordered his release, he was finally able to walk free and feel the drops of rain on his face which he had missed for three decades. In a television interview he was asked whether he was angry at those who had put him in jail. He responded that he had forgiven all the people who had sent him to jail. The interviewer incredulously asked, “But they took thirty years of your life – how can you not be angry?” Hinton responded, “If I am angry and unforgiving, they will have taken the rest of my life.”

This episode underlines the absolute truth that unforgiveness robs us of our ability to enjoy and appreciate our life, because we are trapped in a past filled with anger and bitterness. Forgiveness allows us to move beyond the past and appreciate the present, including the drops of rain falling on our face. Hinton is a powerful example of the ability to respond with joy despite the most horrendous circumstances.

Brother Steindl-Rast explains, “Whatever life gives to you, you can respond with joy. Joy is the happiness that does not depend on what happens. It is the grateful response to the opportunity that life offers you at this moment. When you are grateful, you are not fearful, and when you are not fearful, you are not violent. When you are grateful, you act out of a sense of enough and not out of a sense of scarcity, and you are willing to share. If you are grateful, you are enjoying the differences between people and respectful to all people. A grateful world is a world of joyful people. Grateful people are joyful people. A grateful world is a happy world.” So, rejoicing, celebrating our good deeds and the good deeds of others, focusing on what is good and right and not just on what is bad and wrong should be the spiritual practice of our daily life.

It is a known fact that people with a strong disposition toward gratitude have the capacity to be empathic and to take the perspective of others. They are rated as more generous and more helpful by people in their social networks. They are also more likely to have helped someone with a personal problem or to have offered emotional support to others. Grateful people report more positive emotions, more vitality and optimism, and greater life satisfaction as well as lower levels of stress and depression. They don’t deny the negative aspects of life but simply appreciate what is positive. Compassion and generosity flow from a grateful heart. When we recognize that what we have has been given, it is our natural response to want to care for and give to others.

It is important that we learn to cultivate what is called the ‘eight pillars of joy’. These are:

1. The self-distancing practice of widening the perspective: through meditation we work to shift our perspective from our reactive emotional brain to our more reflective, more evolved high-brain centres. By getting the ‘wider perspective’, we step back from our situation to see the bigger picture. This practice is called ‘self-distancing’, and it allows us to think more clearly about our problems, as well as to reduce our stress response and our negative emotions. This can also be called ‘God’s eye’ perspective – the ability to go beyond our own self-interest and which is essential for any good leader, whether of a nation, organization or family.

2. Humility: it helps us to remember our common bond with others. It helps us to avoid isolation, judgement, and indifference and remember that we are all equally children of God.

3. Laughing at ourselves to develop humour: humour is one of the best ways to end conflict, especially when you are able to make fun of yourself or admit that you are over-reacting or being silly. Laughing at ourselves is a way not to take oneself too seriously. It helps to bring us down from our high pedestal of self-importance and affirm our shared humanity, shared vulnerabilities, shared frailties. Allowing oneself to be target of wholesome laughter and humour will certainly help to overcome our ‘touchiness.’

4. Acceptance: any possibility of joy requires an acceptance of reality and meditation leads us in that direction. We need to accept our life moment by moment without judgement or the expectation for life to be other than what it is.

5. Forgiveness: truth, forgiveness and reconciliation are the only way to move beyond violent conflict and there are no two ways about it. Forgiveness is an involved process which includes asking for forgiveness and forgiving ourselves. Archbishop Tutu speaks of the four-fold path: telling your story, naming the hurt, granting forgiveness, renewing or releasing the relationship. The whole process is aimed at healing of memories and avoiding retraumatizing oneself by integrating the memories in one’s consciousness and defusing some of the emotional reactivity. The ability to forgive comes from the recognition of our shared humanity and the acknowledgement that, as humans, we hurt and are hurt by one another. If we can accept that the other person is also ‘suffering’, we can definitely move from revenge and retaliation to healing. We have to also accept our own part in the human drama.

6. Gratitude: is an extremely important part of joy because it allows us to savour life and to recognize that most of our good fortune in life comes from others. Gratitude is intrinsically related to humility and to appreciation for all those who have made it possible for me to be me.

7. Compassion: is a sense of concern that arises when we are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to see that suffering relieved. It is intrinsically related to ‘love’ and is a skill that has to be cultivated from childhood though it is instinctual in us.

8. Joy: is much bigger and deeper than ‘happiness’. While happiness is often seen as being dependent on external circumstances, joy is not. It is a state of mind and heart that animates our lives and which ultimately leads to a life of satisfaction and meaning. The meditation on ‘joy’ is meant to review the eight pillars and to use them when we encounter a problem, confront pain, or face suffering, whether these are major life challenges or daily dissatisfaction (dukkha). The eight pillars are the practices that lead to greater inner peace and greater joy.

The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ fully contains these eight pillars and much more. May the synodal process be meaningful for us because we are walking together on the Gospel path.

LET CHRIST RULE IN OUR HEARTS

The Solemnity of Christ the King falls this year on November 21. Once again, due to Covid-19 related restrictions, we may not be able to organize the annual Mass cum procession in all its enthusiastic and splendid festivity as earlier but that does not prevent us from enthroning Christ as the King of our hearts. Ultimately what Christ wants from us is not the external display of a colourful procession alone but the witness of a true Christian life of authentic discipleship by letting him rule in our hearts as the Master and King of our lives. If he rules us then our lives will be filled with his Spirit, and this will manifest itself in our behaviour. The question we have to ask ourselves all the time is this: ‘Who rules me, Christ and his Spirit or the evil spirt?’ ‘How do I walk, by the law of the Spirit or by the law of the flesh?’ (cf. Gal 5:16-26). If I have enthroned Christ in my heart then I will endeavour to live a life in accordance with his Gospel which is contrary to the wisdom of this world (cf. 1Cor.1:18-25). The Solemnity of Christ the King calls for a serious examination of my conscience to become aware of the forces that control me and the direction in which I am moving.
The ‘heart’ as the symbolic source of the human willing and decision-making and the core of our personality is very important in the entire Bible:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth and honour me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men” (Isaiah 29: 13).
“return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments” (Joel 2:12-13).
“I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my rules” (Ez. 36:26-27).
“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone” (Mt. 15:18-20).
So external acts of religion are important but they mean nothing before God if the ‘heart’ is unclean – “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Mt. 5:8).
The interiority of the heart or the inner self is so much stressed by St. Paul as the source of a new Spirit-filled vision of the unity of all humankind and creation in Christ:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:14-19).
It is not without reason the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary are so dear to us in the Catholic tradition. This is what St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) to whom Christ revealed the devotion to his Sacred Heart has to tell us (cf. Office of Readings, October 16):
the reason behind our Lord’s great desire that especial honour should be paid to his sacred heart is his wish to renew in our souls the effects of our redemption.
- for his sacred heart is an inexhaustible spring which has no other purpose than to overflow into hearts which are humble, so that they may be ready and willing to devote their lives to his goodwill and pleasure.
- out of this divine heart three streams gush uninterruptedly: mercy for sinners leading to contrition and penance, charity which flows to help all those labouring under difficulties and especially those seeking perfection, love and light to those who are Christ’s perfect friends whom he wishes to bring to complete union with himself.
- this divine heart is an ocean full of good things wherein we can cast all our needs, an ocean full of joy to drown all our sadness, an ocean of humility to overwhelm our folly,
- unite yourself to the heart of Our Lord so that you may make satisfaction for sin.
- whenever anything happens to you that is painful, hard to hear, or mortifying, tell
yourself this: ‘accept what the Sacred Heart of Jesus sends you in order to unite you to himself’.
- but above all things maintain peace of heart which surpasses every treasure; for maintaining this peace nothing is more effective than to renounce one’s own will and to set in its place the will of the Sacred Heart.
The one commission Christ has given to us at his Ascension is to be his ‘witnesses’ (cf. Lk. 24:48). To be a witness to Christ is to testify by word and deed to the truth of the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are witnesses to Christ not only ‘externally’ but above all ‘internally’ in our hearts where we can make our choices and decisions. The internal fidelity to Christ is as important as the external display of our faith, if not more. The daily abiding in his love and his word, the daily dying to ourselves and taking up our cross and following him, the daily call to love, forgive, be humble, empty oneself of pride and ego- centredness, the daily ‘yes’ to God’s will in all circumstances, some of them very trying, constitutes the ‘valour’ of a true Christian soldier of Christ; and this begins primarily in the family and from there encompasses the whole of our life. This is the only way that will ensure our entry into eternal life.
By walking on this way, we witness to Christ who declared before Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn. 18: 36) and further on the purpose for which he came into this world: “to bear witness to the truth” (Jn. 18:37).
St. Ambrose (Sermon 20, 47-50 in Office of Readings, October 9) offers a profound reflection on this interior martyrdom which should be the mark of every Christian in one’s daily life. He says:
“As there are many kinds of persecution, so there are many forms of martyrdom. You are a witness to Christ every day. Tempted by a spirit of fornication but fearing the coming judgement of Christ, you concluded that chastity of mind and body must not be profaned; you are a martyr of Christ. Tempted by a spirit of avarice to seize the possessions of a minor or violate the right of a defenceless widow, you yet judged in the light of God’s commandments that you should offer help rather than inflict injury; you are a witness to Christ. Christ desires such witnesses to stand by him… Tempted by a spirit of pride but seeing the poor and the needy, you tenderly took pity on them, loving humility rather than arrogance; you are a witness to Christ. What is more, you gave testimony not mere in word but in deed.”
What St. Ambrose emphasizes is being martyrs of Christ and confessing the Lord Jesus each day ‘in secret’. This faithful witnessing to Christ interiorly belongs to the ‘testimony of the conscience’ – the inward following of Christ which is more important than the outward confession because ‘we may confess him outwardly and deny him inwardly’.
He exhorts us to be faithful and strong in the interior persecutions where, like the Lord, we will have to stand trial before ‘interior’ governors, kings and judges i.e., before our own vices and sins. There are as many ‘kings’ as there are sins and vices but when we confess Christ, at once our Saviour takes that king prisoner and casts him down from his throne in our souls, because the judgement-seat of the devil cannot remain in the soul of the person where Christ’s judgement-seat is set up.
Another Father of the Church St. Cyprian in Chap 13 of his treatise To Fortunatus (Office of Readings, October 14)) exhorts us to be soldiers of Christ who do their utmost to attain to the great glory which makes us friends of God and sharers straightaway in the joy of Christ not only by courageously facing persecutions and torments in times of persecutions but by defeating the devil in our consciences on a daily basis:
T“There is a crown for those who in times of persecution fight the good fight; there is a crown too for those who in times of peace keep true to their conscience”.
So, there is the ‘soldier’ whose valour lies in being ‘true to one’s conscience’.
May Christ our Saviour and Lord reign in our hearts.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

SYNODAL WAY – REPENTANCE - SOFT SKILLS

The Holy Father Pope Francis has announced the next Synod of Bishops to take place in October 2023, but the preparatory process will begin two years in advance. The Holy Father will inaugurate the synodal process on October 9-10, 2021 at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome and every diocese of the world will follow suit on October 16-17, 2021.
The theme of the Synod is “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission”, in other words, ‘synodality’ itself is the theme. What is the etymology of ‘synodality’? It has a Greek background – a combination of syn (with) and odos (way), hence meaning ‘walking or journeying together’. The two-year preparatory process is to help us realize that, as a Church, our baptismal vocation is to ‘walk together’ as we pilgrimage towards our eternal homeland. This ‘walking together’, and not separately, is the unique mark of the Church of Christ as the Body of Christ called to “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4: 13). And further on: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4: 15-16).
This great mystery of the body building itself up in love begins in the family which is the ‘domestic church’. Therefore, the foundation of ‘synodality’ is in the family, both nuclear and extended. From that foundation ‘communion, participation and mission’ flows to all the other levels of the Church – parish, diocese, institutions, religious institutes and Universal Church and to society at large. But synodality requires communion with God and obedience to God’s will as the indispensable element of relationship among human beings, otherwise it leads to disastrous consequences. The story of the sin of our first parents (cf. Genesis 3) demonstrates how synodality in opposition to God brought about disruption in the order established by God in creation and c onsequent suffering, pain, disharmony, violence and death which is the wages of sin (cf. Rom. 6:23). This is precisely what the devil wants to do with us – to lead us into a synodality that is false and opposed to God.
To return to true synodality as taught by Christ in his Gospel of salvation and which is the way of our discipleship, ‘repentance’ is the key. St. John Chrysostom (born at Antioch about the year 349 A.D. and died in 397 A.D.), the great teacher and Father of the Church who was known as the ‘John of the Golden Mouth’ and whose feast we celebrate on September 13, enumerates in one of his brilliant homilies the ‘Five Ways of Repentance’ (cf. Office of Readings, Tuesday of Week 21).
He admits there are many different roads which point in the same direction and which ultimately lead to heaven but these five are the ‘high roads to repentance’.
The first high road to repentance is the acknowledgement of our sins. When we acknowledge our sins, God will forgive us - in the words of the Psalmist, “I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’, then you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Ps. 32:5). Acknowledging our sins helps us to stop committing them. “First acknowledge your sins that you may be justified”, exhorts St. John Chrysostom. “Keep your conscience busy at home accusing you. Then you will not have to face a far different accuser in another place before the Lord’s tribunal”.
Probably the most difficult challenge for our broken and wounded ego is to admit our own culpability and say, ‘I was wrong’, ‘I made a mistake’, ‘It was my fault’, ‘I am responsible for my action’, ‘Forgive me for my mistake’. Instead, we defend and justify ourselves by blaming the other and running away from responsibility as it happened with our first parents. The childish habit of shoving the blame on the other - ‘I am right, the other is wrong’ - is the commonest way we live a lie and refuse to enter into the glorious new life Christ has won for us. We prefer darkness to light and definitely miss the joy of life. Result? We spread our joylessness to people around us, thus polluting our environment. Instead of bridges we build walls of hatred and suspicion which hamper growth in love, peace and communion.
Repentance demands tremendous humility, a veritable dying to oneself as Christ has asked of us (cf. Jn. 12: 24--25) , a ‘self-emptying’ like that of Christ himself (cf. Phil. 2:7-8) that can only come with the power and strength of the Holy Spirit.
The first is a ‘royal’ road to repentance but the second high road to repentance is no whit inferior to the first one, namely forgetting wrongs, controlling one’s temper, forgiving the trespasses of our fellow-human beings so that the Lord may forgive us our trespasses. This is the next way to expiate our sins. As the Lord says, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mt. 6: 14-15).
St. Paul constantly reminds us of this high road: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful (Col. 3:12-15).
Would you learn the third way? Prayer, fervent and diligent prayer, prayer from the heart. Who teaches us this prayer from the heart? Our Lord Jesus Christ himself. Therefore, we must never cease to ask him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’ (cf. Lk. 11:1) and he will teach us the path to communion with God and with one another (cf. Jn. 17: 21-23).
The fourth way is almsgiving and a very effective way it is too. But almsgiving, if it is to be truly acceptable to God, has to be like the offering of the poor widow about whom Our Lord said: “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mk. 12: 43-44) . Nothing can be more loathsome before God than almsgiving made for gaining human publicity, praise and recognit ion.
Next comes modest and humble behaviour which annihilates sin as drastically as the other methods. The Publican bears witness to this. He had no good deeds to list but instead he offered humility and the burden of his sins dropped off him (cf. Lk. 18:9-14).
Here then are the five high roads to repentance, first acknowledging one’s sins, second forgiving the sins of others, third prayer, fourth almsgiving, fifth humility.
The final exhortation of St. John Chrysostom: “Do not be idle then but day by day set out along these roads. The going is not difficult and poverty is no excuse for stopping at home. Even if you are very poor, you can still lay aside anger, carry yourself humbly, persevere in prayer and acknowledge your sins. Poverty is no obstacle to all this, not even when you are travelling along the penitential road (I mean almsgiving) where you have to give away your money. Even there, poverty is no obstacle. Did not the widow prove that when she contributed her mite?
We have learned how our wounds are to be healed – we must now apply these remedies, so that we may recover our health and enjoy the blessings of the holy table with confidence. Then may we go in a cloud of glory to meet Christ the king of glory and attain the happiness of everlasting life through the grace and the mercy and the loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Can we call these five high roads to repentance ‘soft skills’ in today’s digital jargon? I just came cross this phrase in a magazine called Magnet (Vol IV, Issue 9, September 2020) edited by Fr. Joe Mannath, SDB, the Secretary General of the ‘Conference of Religious, India’ (CRI). He says, “Hard skills deal with handling machines, and are applicable to one type of work. Soft skills are about how we treat human beings; they come into play in all walks of life” (Editorial). In his lead article “Soft Skills: A Bird’s Eye-View: Managing life and relationships matters more than maintaining machines” he emphasizes the need to be ‘adults’ and ‘grown-ups’ and not to remain ‘childish’ i.e., crying, complaining, moody, withdrawn, throwing tantrums, blaming others when things go wrong, expecting others to solve my problems. All these are prescriptions for disaster. Instead, we need to be responsible adults who are able to look after ourselves and take life in our hands. For this we need to cultivate the following ‘soft skills’: problem-solving, learning to learn, taking decisions, emotional balance or managing my moods, responsibility and work ethic, time management and planning, looking at the positive, handling change and stress, discipline, creativity, respect and cou rtesy, listening, reaching out and volunteering, feedback (positive and negative), admitting one’s mistake s and limitations, building bridges and not walls, a clear stand against hatred, calumny, deceit and lies, inter-personal communication, non-verbal communication, public speaking, writing, social media.
Those with better ‘soft skills’ can make a lasting impact on society. Hence the three areas we need to pay attention to are: i) Take responsible care of your own growth; ii) Reach out to people, relate warmly and be a healer; iii) Master communication skills, so that you can truly give, and be good news.
The final advice: “May those who know you say this about you: A sound and balanced person to imitate; a loving human being to live and work with; a clear and gripping communicator to learn from”.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

MENTAL IMMUNITY

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought into our private and public discourse, in an unprecedented way, the topic of strengthening our ‘immune system’ against the Covid-19 virus and against all other hazardous viruses and bacteria. The global vaccination drive is a move in this direction, probably never before witnessed in the history of the world.
Equally, if not more, important however is ‘mental immunity’ for a healthy life of body-mind-spirit. This is what all religions purport to teach and what Christ Our Lord has taught us par excellence as the core of the Gospel.
Very recently, while reading a book The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams (Hutchinson, London, 2016) I came across the concept of ‘mental immunity’ put forth by these two spiritual giants in their 7-day meeting with each other at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh in April 2015. The concept emerges in the context of their dialogue on ‘obstacles to joy’.
Just as we try our utmost to cure and prevent our physical diseases by keeping our physical immunity strong, so also, we need to develop our ‘mental immunity’ to discover joy in the face of suffering because “so much of our unhappiness originates within our own mind and heart – in how we react to events in our life” (p. 83).
According to the Dalai Lama, mental immunity is just learning to avoid the destructive emotions and to develop the positive ones. He says, first we must understand the different states of our mind – the diverse thoughts and emotions we experience on a daily basis. Some of these thoughts and emotions are harmful, even toxic, while others are healthy and healing. The former cause much disturbance and mental pain but the latter bring us true joyfulness.
Just as a healthy immune system and healthy constitution protects our body against potentially hazardous viruses and bacteria, so too mental immunity creates a healthy disposition of the mind so that it will be less susceptible to negative thoughts and feelings. If our health is strong, when viruses come, they will not make us sick. If our overall health is weak, even small viruses will be very dangerous for us. Similarly, if our mental health is sound, then when disturbances come, we will have some distress but quickly recover; but if our mental health is not good, then small disturbances, small problems will cause us much pain and suffering. We will have much fear and worry, much anxiety and pain, much anger, sadness and even despair.
The Dalai Lama recalls how once the Vice-President of the USA, Mr. Al Gore, had spoken to him about his many problems and difficulties that were causing him a great deal of anxiety. The Dalai Lama in response spoke to him about the ability human beings have of making a distinction between the rational level and the emotional level. At the rational level, we accept that the problem we have to deal with is serious, but at the deeper, emotional level, we are able to keep calm – like the ocean that has many waves on the surface but deep down is calm. This is possible only if we know how to develop ‘mental immunity’.
Archbishop Tutu also makes a very important point in the discourse on mental immunity: the negative thoughts and feelings are ‘natural’ and one should not get annoyed with oneself that one is prone to such states of the mind. It is very important that “we accept ourselves as we are” (p. 85) and “grow” towards acquiring the ‘mental immunity’ the Dalai Lama speaks of. We are human, therefore we need not be ashamed or guilty that we have these thoughts, feelings and emotions but we need to recognize that we have them and be aware of the source that triggers them. Then only we will progress towards change and transformation.
The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the apostolic teachings that flow from there are our bedrock of ‘mental immunity’ that belongs to God’s gift of salvation in Jesus Christ and offered to the whole of humanity. It is not just a psychological technique acquired through practice on one’s own efforts but a grace of God freely bestowed by God on hearts that are repentant and seek the Lord in humility and childlike trust. ‘Mental immunity’ results from our being anointed in the Holy Spirit and living a life of communion in the Holy Trinity. This is the truly Christian understanding of mental immunity as taught by Christ and which is the hallmark of our discipleship. It stands for God’s Kingdom and its triumph.
Our life in the Holy Spirit will manifest itself in our behaviour as laid down in the Gospel of Christ: living the Beatitudes, giving first place to reconciliation, not resisting the one who is evil but turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us, forgiving from the heart, humbling oneself like a little child, being ready to serve rather than be served, loving one another as Christ has loved us, being ready to deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow Jesus, seeing Christ in the face of the poor and needy, following Christ in his poverty, being perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. This behaviour is a sign that the infection of hatred, vindictiveness, jealousy, envy, anger, violence etc. has not caught us but has been kept at bay. In short, the evil one has not had power over us.
The Apostolic teachings are a treasure house of what constitutes ‘mental immunity’:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Rom. 12:9-13).
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep… Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave to to the wrath of God…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:14-21).
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends”. (1Cor. 12:4-8).
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:22-24).
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1-3).
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil”. (Eph. 4:26-27).
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you”. (Eph. 4:30-32).
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:1-2).
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive”. (Phil.3:12-13).
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” (Phil. 3:12-15).
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Phil.4:4).
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil. 4:8).
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:1-2).
“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:16-18).
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing” (1Pet. 3:8-9).
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Any one who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1Jn. 4:7-8).
Both the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu agree that ‘mental immunity’ keeps away from us stress, anguish, anxiety, frustration, anger and the many other obstacle to true ‘joy’ which are part of our daily life. We can be joyful in the midst of intense suffering and pain. It depends on our attitude.
Ultimately, we realize that ‘mental immunity’ is more important than physical immunity because to be sound in mind and spirit greatly influences our physical health individually and collectively. Therefore, it is not without reason that Our Lord said: “Which is easier, to say ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins – he said to the man who was paralyzed – ‘I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home’” (Lk. 5:23-24).

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS AND EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
=ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA=

The year 2021 marks the 500th anniversary of the ‘conversion’ of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order. It was in May 1521 that this young officer defending the fortress of Pamplona against the French who claimed the territory as their own against Spain found himself badly injured when a cannon ball wounded his one leg and broke the other. He was eventually healed, and rather miraculously, but the injury and long months of recuperation laid the ground for his conversion from a man lost in worldly vanities such as military valour and human renown to being a courtier of God and a soldier of Christ to fight the battle against the powers of evil on this earth. It was a copy of The Life of Christ and The Flower of the Saints that brought about his conversion. These two volumes came into his hands by ‘default’ when he had actually asked for some romance novels to pass his time and there were none in the castle of Loyola. How wonderful are the ways of God and how inscrutable His designs!
He came to realise that he experienced peace and satisfaction after reading the life of Christ and thinking of the saints whereas his daydreams of fame and glory and of winning the love of a certain noble lady of the court only caused him more restlessness and dissatisfaction. This was the beginning of his ‘conversion’ which was also the beginning of a profound understanding of ‘spiritual discernment’ or ‘discernment of spirits’ that has become the distinctive mark of the Ignatian and Jesuit spirituality described in the quintessential mystical work, the Spiritual Exercises, that Ignatius wrote and bequeathed to the Society he founded and to the Church at large.
‘Discernment of spirits’ is intrinsic to our Christian discipleship; ‘discernment’ or ‘counsel’ is one of the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed on us at Baptism and confirmed in the Sacrament of Confirmation. We have within us forces, motivations, drives, inclinations, desires, tendencies, etc. leading to action and these are also active in society. It is most important to know which ones come from God and which ones from our broken sinful selves. Here are some of the fundamental scriptural passages which speak to us of discernment as the essential quality of our relationship with God:
1Kgs. 3:9: “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil.”
Rom. 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
1Thess. 5:21: “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
1Jn 4:1: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.”
Heb. 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
It is more than evident, therefore, that there cannot be discernment without unceasing prayer, which is our inner communion with the Holy Spirit. It is only in prayer that we will gain an awareness of the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives individually as also in the lives of others and in events.
Often, we hear of ‘discernment’ as the requirement for formal choices and decisions in one’s life as an individual (e.g., choice of status in life, choice of job, choice of mission and ministry etc.) and in the life of the Church as an organization (e.g., choosing major superiors during chapter). However, the practice of discernment should be the quality of life at every moment in all the small and big choices we have to make daily. It simply means we make our choices keeping in mind the values of Christ. In other words, we choose Christ in all our actions and attitudes.
An indispensable dimension of the discernment process in our daily life is the daily Examen of Conscience which is also called the Examination of Consciousness. It was not invented by Ignatius of Loyola but he brought it to the very centre-stage of our spiritual life. From just being a practice in preparation for the reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation this great saint and mystic transformed it into a prayer, a privileged moment of discerning, a moment to grow in divine grace. It is a simple, maximum 15-minute, daily spiritual exercise which can help to make us totally free from within so that we find the will of God.
The examination of conscience is a prayer that focuses not on my activities but on the action of God in my life whereby I discover the footprints of the Lord in the depth of my interiority.
The important steps that constitute the examination of conscience could be summed up as follows:
First step: Gratitude to God for all the blessings received from Him throughout the day. It is important to see the entire day in the light of gratitude and to begin the Examen Prayer by saying to myself ‘I am grateful to God for today.’ This sets the right tone for the examination of consciousness.
Second step: Asking God for a particular grace. During this prayer we ask God for the grace of knowing ourselves, of awareness and interior knowledge. I ask God to fill me with His Spirit so that I can be led me in the right path by the light of the Holy Spirit. The introspection is not about the number of times we have failed nor making an account of our sins and mistakes. What I ask here is the light of God to illumine my heart, that the Spirit may indicate or lead my attention to areas of life where I need to look, and this I do without a suffocating moralistic attitude. When I ask for the light from God to know myself, I am praying that I would like to look at my life with the eyes of God and not merely my own. By asking for this grace, I am acknowledging that God’s way of looking at me is different from my own; I am looking for a Spirit-guided insight and not the one based only on my mental recall.
Third step: Reflective look at the past. I look at the day and take note of the events that have taken place, asking myself ‘where was God present during my day?’. As I go over the day, I look for God in my activities, in the events, in people I met, in things I consider as routine activities. The review of the day is a time to become aware of where God is at work. The priority is not what I have done or failed to do, but instead where was God present and acting in my life, when God was taking the centre-stage and what my response was to the ever-present God. I introspect to see not what I did but what God did in my life, when God was taking initiative and how cooperative I was: willing or unwilling, dragging my feet, putting off things, ignoring or actively responding to God’s grace.
I look at my thoughts, feelings, emotions and reactions in order to become aware of them and analyse them so that I can understand myself better and begin to discern the deeper truth about myself and the way God is present in my day-to-day life, deep in my conscience.
The order ‘thoughts-words-deeds’ was very important for Ignatius of Loyola to recognize the ‘footprints of the Lord’ and the inner movement of affections and desires that make us act in a certain way. Therefore, entering into my interior world and examining the ’depth of my affectivity’ is an important element in the daily spiritual exercise of the Examination of Conscience. This is very much linked to discernment where we are separating, distinguishing etc.
Fourth step: Asking God pardon for one’s sins. This step may look easy and less important as I can quickly apologize for my mistakes and move on; but in actuality it contains much more. This step is about accepting responsibility for my behaviour, taking an honest look at the responses to the invitation of the Lord and readily facing the reality of my behaviour that may have been unacceptable as well as acknowledging my responsibility without looking for excuses.
Fifth step: Resolution to be different in outlook and attitudes based on the introspection. The resolution to amend my life – always with the help of God’s grace – is very important because the exercise has prepared us to be responsible and has made us aware of the areas where we can live authentic lives. Making a resolution is a way to live better after we have introspected. In this way we respond to the invitation of the Lord to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48) in concrete ways. It means we are more open to the Spirit of the Lord, to bring about changes in attitude or the way we deal with people. The one norm we can apply here is the Ignatian principle, ‘love ought to be shown more in action than in words.’ The fifth step is a hope-filled resolution for the future, because I believe that I will be different from the way I have behaved and I have faith in God that He will guide my life.
Thus, the Examination of Conscience begins with gratitude and ends with making a resolution. I am not focusing on my shortcomings or sins but on how and where the Lord has been active and how I have been responding to or resisting Him. The accent is not psychological or moralistic self-analysis, but on the Spirit in me and telling me something. In this way, the Examen Prayer becomes a discerning prayer to be part of my life continually.
In conclusion, the ‘discernment of spirits’ is not about making decisions or resolving problems but seeing how the Holy Spirit is at work in my life and in the world around me and following His direction. It means choosing God in all that we do and ‘finding God in all things’ (favourite expression of St. Ignatius of Loyola).
(For the above reflections I am indebted to an article “Prayer and Discernment” by Somy M. Mannoor, SJ in Asian Journal of Vocation and Formation – Vol. XXXXIV, No. 2, July-Dec 2019, pp. 32-50).

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

LEAVING THE PAST BEHIND

The advent of the monsoon rains with the gushing waters, gurgling streams, wells filled to the brim and the entire landscape of our country turning green brings freshness, joy and hope to our spirits after the sweltering heat of the summer. For us in North India the month of July comes with ‘newness’ in its wings.
We witness how Mother Nature leaves much of the ‘past’ behind and moves into a new present heralding hope for the future.
After the stormy days of the Covid-19 second wave the Spirit of the Lord is also infusing hope in us of a bright new life of social harmony, economic well-being and all-round growth only if humanity responds to the summons of God’s grace and orders its life not on mundane values only that bring prosperity for some and misery for others but on the values of the ‘Kingdom of God’ which Our Lord Jesus Christ has so clearly laid before us. The key to this new way of life is ‘repentance’ which calls for a break with the past and stepping into anew present with its thrust for the future.
There is a small story I came across about an ‘Old Man who lived in the Village’. This old man who lived in the village was one of the most unfortunate people in the world. The whole village was tired of him; he was always gloomy, he constantly complained and was always in a bad mood. The longer he lived, the more bile he was becoming and the more poisonous were his words. People avoided him, because his misfortune became contagious. It was even unnatural and insulting to be happy next to him. He created the feeling of unhappiness in others. But one day, when he turned eighty years old, an incredible thing happened. Instantly everyone started hearing the rumour: “An Old Man is happy today, he doesn’t complain about anything, smiles, and even his face is freshened up.” The whole village gathered together. The old man was asked: “What happened to you?” The old man replied: “Nothing special. Eighty years I’ve been chasing happiness, and it was useless. And then I decided to live without happiness and just enjoy life. That’s why I’m happy now.” The moral of the story is: Don’t chase happiness. Just enjoy life.
And no one can truly ‘enjoy life’ unless one is also rooted in the One who is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14: 6).
St. Paul speaks of the ‘wisdom’ that comes from “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1Cor. 2:2). This is not human wisdom but the power of God. It looks like foolishness and weakness but the “foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1Cor. 1:25). He underlines the “wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away” (1Cor. 2:6)
So many times we want to remain in the ‘past’ and refuse to move into a newer present whether it be attitudes, old memories good or bad, guilt feelings, behaviour patterns, customs, mores, traditions etc. – it is very difficult to leave the past behind. The baggage of the past often takes away the joy and zest of life that every present opens before us.
The ‘good’ past of our life of course offers a stable foundation emotionally and otherwise to our life’s edifice; a ‘bad’ past can make us unstable and shaky. Yet, whether ‘good’ or ‘bad’ we need to walk into God’s ‘newness’ every day, nay every moment. It is worth pondering on the words of St. Paul to the Philippians: “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14). The dynamism of the ‘upward call of God’ is or should be the distinguishing mark of our Christian discipleship. This can happen only when we abide in Him like ‘branches in the vine’ (cf. Jn. 15).
St. Paul never tires of stressing on the ‘newness’ theme: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2Cor. 5:17). He loudly declares: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20).
There are several examples in the Holy Bible of persons who broke totally with the past in order to enter into a new present and shape a new future:
In 1Kgs. 19:19-21 there is the story of Elijah selecting Elisha. After the event, Elisha requests Elijah’s permission to say goodbye to his parents. Elijah permits it freely. However, Elisha changes his mind; decides not to go home even for that last rite. Then he takes the yoke of oxen, slays them, breaks the plough and the yoke and makes fire out of them, roasts the meat on the fire and distributes it to the people. He then follows Elijah.
Elisha indeed wanted to bid good-bye to his parents but then decided not to go. He realized that responding to God’s call was more important than responding to family relations. This is what Jesus would refer to later (cf. Lk. 9:60: “Leave the dead the dead to bury their dead; as for you come and follow me”). Once the call is received there can be no turning back. Turning back can be disastrous. One can turn into a pillar of salt as it happened with Lot’s wife (cf. Gen. 19:26). Usually salt gives taste and keeps food fresh, but to be ‘pillar of salt’ is to be a source of corrosiveness; it stands for motionlessness, lifelessness and death (excessive salt has made the sea next to Lake Galilee a ‘dead sea’).
Elisha not only slew the oxen but also burned the farming instruments, which is like burning the bridge after crossing the river – there was no going back.
In the story of the woman with the alabaster jar of expensive perfume or pure nard, Mark states that she broke the jar and poured the ointment on Jesus’ head (cf. Mk 14:3). Perfume was in fact an important item for the profession of that woman. She brings it to Jesus and empties it on him, keeping nothing for herself. The ‘brea king’ of the jar is quite like the ‘killing’ of the oxen by Elisha. The past is gone. There is a total break fr m the past. The old identity is gone; a new identity is born. Luke says she poured the perfume on the feet of Jesus. Perfume was the symbol of her sinful life. She now pours it over the feet of Jesus. Her sinful life is o ffered at the feet of Jesus. Now she is ready to begin a totally new life.
The description of the early Christian community after Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles (cf. Acts 4:34-36) is also a powerful testimony to the ‘break with the past’ that the Holy Spirit brings about in our life. Empowered by the Spirit they sold not some of their belongings but all they owned. Now they had nothing to fall back on – no land, no houses, no wealth, no security except the Lord and his Gospel. They had broken off from the past an d a new life had begun for them.
There are also examples in the New Testament of those who refused to break from the past.
The rich young man (cf. Mt. 19:16-22) could not follow Jesus because he had great riches. He didn’t have the courage to break from the past. He went back sad because he had great wealth. The ‘wealth’ represents not only material possessions but all our ‘attachments’ that prevent us from being ‘free’ in the Holy Spirit. However to follow Christ 100% means to enter into the freedom of the Holy Spirit which the Lord offers us.
The episode of Ananias and Sapphira (cf. Acts 5:1) is another example. They sell everything but put aside some of the proceeds. This shows a reluctance to break from the past.
[Cf. “No turning back” by George Ponodath, SJ in his book Cave of Plenty: A Retreat Manual (St. Paul’s, Mumbai, 2019), pp. 320-324].
The question I must honestly ask myself is: ‘Have I really broken with the past?’ Or I still long for the ‘fleshpots of Egypt?’ After their liberation from Egypt the Israelites as a nation would look back and long for the meat and fish of Egypt. They would grumble about food in the desert (Ex. 16:2; Num 11:4-6) rather than enjoy the freedom into which Yahweh had brought them.
Every encounter with the Lord in the Gospels results in ‘newness’. Nobody remains the same any more, from the fishermen disciples, to sinners forgiven by the Lord, to those healed by the Lord of various kinds of diseases and infirmities especially possession by demons. They all become new persons ready to embark on the grace-filled journey of a new relationship with the Divine Messiah, the Liberator and Lord. Only the ‘blind’ Pharisees, Sadduc ees, Scribes, Lawyers etc. who constantly opposed the Lord and finally put him to death refused to enter into the newness the Lord was offering them, because they were very much attached to their status quo which they feared to lose. They held on to their traditions and closed their hearts to the call of the New Covenant.
May we have the courage to ‘leave the past behind’ if we wish to enjoy the fullness of life Christ offers us.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

YOU ARE GOD’S BELOVED ONE

Having an identity of our own is perhaps the most important treasure-hunt of our life from the day of our birth until death; unfortunately we overlook the God-given imperishable treasure in our souls to make our identity peg on man-made fleeting and perishable treasures of this world – be it wealth, prestige, power, caste and class superiority, social positions, etc. These are extremely important and necessary but only when evaluated on the touchstone of what Christ has revealed to us and summed up in the one sentence ‘I am a child of God’, ‘We are children of God’. Otherwise they are destructive demons used by the Devil to establish his kingdom on this earth as our history has proved so far.
‘What is my identity’ is the question I need to ask myself all the time and, in that measure, I will also be able to affirm the identity of others if it is my Christian faith that prompts the answer.
The fundamental truth of our Christian faith is that we are God’s children, his beloved children. This is proclaimed from the day of our baptism which makes us disciples of Christ and engrafts us into the Church, his mystical body. St. John, the Evangelist of God’s love, brings this great mystery to our awareness when he writes: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 Jn. 3: 1-3).
Our divine filiation is hidden in the divine Sonship of Jesus himself when the Heavenly Father openly declared Jesus as his beloved Son at his baptism in the Jordan: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mk. 1: 11).
Later on Jesus would teach us the prayer ‘Our Father’ clearly revealing to us that we are God’s children and God is our ‘Abba’ i.e. loving Father. At the Last Supper the Lord tells Apostle Thomas in answer to his question regarding the Father: “From now on you do know him and have seen him” (Jn. 14: 4). He prays to the Father that all believers may be united in the intimate unity of the Father and the Son so that the whole world may come to believe in Christ and be saved. This is the relationship with the Father to which we are called in Christ; it amounts to sharing in the same infinite glory the Father has given to Christ before the foundation of the world and the same love with which the Father has loved his Son (cf. Jn. 17: 20-26).
When the rich young man came to Jesus asking what he must do to have eternal life the Lord clearly and without mincing words placed before him the evangelical challenge of a new identity, namely that of becoming a child of God by emptying himself and not being dependent for his identity on human perfection and material riches. The Gospel says he went away sad because he had great possessions (cf. Mt. 19: 16-22).
The Lord does not present his call to be childlike as a preferable option or a good advice but the very condition to have eternal life: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 18: 2-4).
It is not without reason that the Lord thanks the Father for having hidden the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children (cf. Mat. 11:25).
When the Lord appeared to the frightened disciples on the day of the Resurrection he breathed the Holy Spirit into them and transformed them from a band of self-seeking followers looking for the restoration of the Davidic kingdom of Israel and places of power for themselves in that kingdom to a Spirit-filled ‘college of Apostles’ sent forth into the world to proclaim everywhere God’s love and forgiveness in Christ. They received a new identity of being humble and childlike instruments in God’s hands to proclaim God’s Kingdom of love and peace which transcends all earthly kingdoms and aspirations (cf. Jn. 20:19-23).
So also at Pentecost when the Church was born in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit the community obtains a new identity. They are no more a motley crowd of individuals pursuing their separate dreams but a community of believers united among themselves and living such a life of love that they are able to hold everything in common and share their goods so that no one is needy among them. They obtain a new identity of being God’s children and indeed who can live as such joyfully as well as courageously proclaiming the Gospel both in word as well as in deed (cf. Acts 4: 32-35).
What about the great St. Paul? He was Saul, a Pharisee fanatic for the Jewish traditions and Mosaic Law and a sworn enemy of the Church. In his miraculous conversion this man is brought down from his horse and as he falls to the ground he becomes blind only to begin to ‘see’ when Ananias prays over him. He attains a new identity – that of being a disciple of Christ and humble child of God. Henceforth he places all his trust in the almighty grace and power of God that has saved him. He is now a chosen vessel in the hands of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Good news of Christ everywhere and call people to repentance and new life in Christ (cf. Acts 9:1-19). His theology is entirely based on the fundamental principle of ‘justification by God’s grace and not by one’s works’.
Our identity lies in being a beloved child of God which is more a question of being than doing. As expressed in Psalm 139: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it well” (vv13-14).
These terrible days of the second wave of the Covid 19 pandemic has seen death everywhere and bodies waiting for hours in queues to be cremated or buried often raising the point of ‘dignity of the dead body’. Our Christian faith tells us that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 6:9), therefore should be treated with the utmost dignity both when a person is alive and especially when death occurs. This teaching we draw from the Holy Bible, in particular from the Letters of St. Paul. The final rites for the dead person all focus on the sanctity of the dead body through the sacraments and the hope we carry in our hearts of the final Resurrection of the body on the Last Day when the Risen Lord will return in his power and glory to judge the living and dead. We are glad that despite the Covid protocols all our pastors have endeavoured to give to our dead who passed away due to Covid 19 a dignified cremation or burial according to the rites of the Church. It flows from our faith that in Christ every person is God’s beloved child and destined to share in the eternal glory of God which is eternal life.
Henry J. M. Nouwen in his book Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World (St. Paul’s, 1992) offers some profound reflections on the meaning of ‘Beloved’ as it occurs in the story of the baptism of Our Lord in the Jordan. According to him, the words ‘You are my Beloved’ reveal the most intimate truth about all human beings, whether they belong to any particular tradition or not. The greatest gift I can give to another is the gift of ‘Belovedness’ and I can do it insofar as I have claimed it for myself.
“Yes, there is a voice, the voice that speaks from above and from within and that whispers softly or declares loudly: ‘You are my Beloved, on you my favour rests.’ It certainly is not easy to hear that voice in a world filled with voices that shout: ‘You are no good, you are ugly; you are worthless; you are despicable, you are nobody – unless you can demonstrate the opposite’. These negative voices are so loud and so persistent that it is easy to believe them. That’s the greatest trap. It is the trap of self-rejection” (p. 24).
Henry Nouwen sees the seductive quality of success, popularity and power as part of a much larger temptation i.e. to self-rejection. When we have come to believe in the voices that call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity and power are easily perceived as attractive solutions. The real trap, however, is self-rejection; and arrogance is the other side of self-rejection. In the final analysis it is just another way of dealing with the feelings of worthlessness.
“Both self-rejection and arrogance pull us out of the common reality of existence and make a gentle community of people extremely difficult, if not impossible, to attain. I know too well that beneath my arrogance there lies much self-doubt, just as there is a great amount of pride hidden in my self-rejection. Whether I am inflated or deflated, I lose touch with my truth and distort my vision of reality” (p. 25).
The secret of love, joy and peace in this world is to claim our blessedness which always leads to a deeper desire to bless others. The blessed one always blesses because it is easy to bless others, to speak good things to and about them, to call forth their beauty and truth, when you yourself are in touch with your blessedness.
“No one is brought forth to life through curses, gossip, accusations, or blaming. There is so much of that taking place around us all the time. And it calls forth only darkness, destruction and death… When we hear within ourselves the voice calling us by name and blessing us, the darkness no longer distracts us. The voice that calls us the Beloved will give us words to bless others and reveal to them that they are no less blessed than we” (p. 61).

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

GOD SENDS ANGELS

‘Angel’ simply means a ‘messenger’ or ‘envoy’ but in the spiritual realm the word refers to ‘God’s messenger’. When we talk of ‘angels’ we always have in mind the heavenly, pure and super-human beings serving in the heavenly courts and that God sends to us to convey his message or to protect us from harm and evil. The narratives of the birth and resurrection of Jesus are inseparably bound up with angelic messengers of the Good News.
However, analogically, we also call those human beings ‘angels’ who come into our lives or the lives of other people in a situation of hopelessness and despair; they come in an unexpected manner bringing love, succour, solace, healing and hope in an otherwise bleak environment. Given a chance perhaps each one of us would want to testify to such ‘angels’ of our life’s journey who made all the difference for us. We remember them gratefully and realize that the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ transforms each one of us into ‘angels’ of love, peace, joy and new life in this world – just like Mary Magdalene and the women, the disciples on way to Emmaus and, after Pentecost, the apostles and the early Church. We thank God for the unbroken mission of the Church all through the last over 2000 years.
I would like to reproduce here the poignant story of an ‘angel’ that happened during the Nazi occupation of Poland from August 1942 till May 1945 when Hitler was finally defeated. [The story is taken from AINACS magazine News & Views, March-April 2014]. It makes interesting reading for Eastertide.

Kindness Pays – A True Story
August 1942. Piotrkow, Poland
The sky was gloomy that morning as we waited anxiously. All the men, women and children of Piotrkow’s Jewish ghetto had been herded into a square. Word had gotten round that we were being moved. My father had only recently died from typhus, which had run rampant through the crowded ghetto. My greatest fear was that our family would be separated.
‘Whatever you do’, Isidore, my eldest brother, whispered to me, ‘don’t tell them your age. Say you’re sixteen.’ I was tall for a boy of 11, so I could pull it off. That way I might be deemed valuable as a worker.
An SS man approached me, boots clicking against the cobblestones. He looked me up and down, and then asked my age. ‘Sixteen’, I said. He directed me to the left, where my three brothers and other healthy young men already stood. My mother was motioned to the right with the other women, children, sick and elderly people. I whispered to Isidore, ‘Why?’ He didn’t answer.
I ran to Mama’s side and said I wanted to stay with her. ‘No’, she said sternly. ‘Get away. Don’t be a nuisance. Go with your brothers.’ She had never spoken so harshly before. But I understood: She was protecting me. She loved me so much that, just this once, she pretended not to. It was the last I ever saw of her.
My brother and I were transported in a cattle car to Germany. We arrived at the Buchenwald concentration camp one night later and were led into a crowded barrack. The next day, we were issued uniforms and identification numbers.
‘Don’t call me Herman anymore’, I said to my brothers, ‘call me 94983’. I was put to work in the camp’s crematorium, loading the dead into a hand-cranked elevator. I, too, felt dead. Hardened, I had become a number. Soon, my brother and I were sent to Schlieben, one of Buchenwald’s sub-camps near Berlin…
One morning I thought I heard my mother’s voice. ‘Son’, she said softly but clearly, I am going to send you an angel’. Then I woke up. Just a dream. A beautiful dream. But in this place there could be no angels. There was only work. And hunger. And fear. A couple of days later, I was walking around the camp, around the barracks, near the barbed-wire fence where the guards could not easily see. I was alone.
On the other side of the fence, I spotted someone: a little girl with light, almost luminous curls. She was half-hidden behind a birch tree. I glanced around to make sure no one saw me. I called to her softly in German: ‘Do you have something to eat?’ She didn’t understand. I inched closer to the fence and repeated the question in Polish. She stepped forward. I was thin and gaunt, with rags wrapped around my feet, but the girl looked unafraid. In her eyes, I saw life. She pulled an apple from her woolen jacket and threw it over the fence. I grabbed the fruit and, as I started to run away, I heard her say faintly, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’ I returned to the same spot by the fence at the same time every day. She was always there with something for me to eat – a hunk of bread or, better yet, an apple.
We didn’t dare speak or linger. To be caught would mean death for us both. I didn’t know anything about her, just a kind farm girl, except that she understood Polish. What was her name? Why was she risking her life for me? Hope was in such short supply, and this girl on the other side of the fence gave me some, as nourishing in its way as the bread and apples. Nearly seven months later, my brothers and I were crammed into a coal car and shipped to Theresienstadt for three months. The war was winding down and Allied forces were closing in, yet my fate seemed sealed.
On May 10, 1945, I was scheduled to die in the gas chamber at 10.00 a.m. In the quiet of dawn, I tried to prepare myself. So many times death seemed ready to claim me, but somehow I’d survived. Now, it was over. I thought of my parents. At least, I thought, we will be reunited. But by 8.00 a.m. there was a commotion. I heard shouts, and saw people running every which way through the camp. I caught up with my brothers.
Russian troops had liberated the camp! The gates swung open. Everyone was running, so I did too. Amazingly, all of my brothers had survived; I’m not sure how. But I knew that the girl with the apples had been the key to my survival. In a place where evil seemed triumphant, one person’s goodness had saved my life, had given me hope in a place where there was none.
My mother had promised to send me an angel, and the angel had come. Eventually I made my way to England where I was sponsored by a Jewish charity, put up in a hostel with other boys who had survived the Holocaust and trained in electronics. Then I came to America, where my brother Sam had already moved. I served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and returned to New York City after two years.
By August 1957 I’d opened my own electronics repair shop. I was starting to settle in. One day, my friend Sid who I knew from England called me. ‘I’ve got a date. She’s got a Polish friend. Let’s double date.’ A blind date? Nah, that wasn’t for me. But Sid kept pestering me, and a few days later we headed up to the Bronx to pick up his date and her friend Roma.
I had to admit, for a blind date this wasn’t so bad. Roma was a nurse at a Bronx hospital. She was kind and smart. Beautiful, too, with swirling brown curls and green, almond-shaped eyes that sparkled with life. The four of us drove out to Coney Island. Roma was easy to talk to, easy to be with. Turned out she was wary of blind dates too!
We were both just doing our friends a favour. We took a stroll on the boardwalk, enjoying the salty Atlantic breeze, and then had dinner by the shore. I couldn’t remember having a better time.We piled back into Sid’s car, Roma and I sharing the back seat. As European Jews who had survived the war, we were aware that much had been left unsaid between us. She broached the subject, ‘Where were you,’ she asked softly, ‘during the war?’ ‘The camps,’ I said. The terrible memories still vivid, the irreparable loss. I had tried to forget. But you can never forget.
She nodded. ‘My family was hiding on a farm in Germany, not far from Berlin, she told me. ‘My father knew a priest, and he got us Aryan papers.’ I imagined how she must have suffered too, fear, a constant companion. And yet here we were both survivors, in a new world.
‘There was a camp next to the farm.’ Roma continued. ‘I saw a boy there and I would throw him apples every day.’ What an amazing coincidence that she had helped some other boy. ‘What did he look like? I asked. ‘He was tall, skinny, and hungry. I must have seen him every day for six months.’ My heart was racing. I couldn’t believe it.
This couldn’t be. ‘Did he tell you one day not to come back because he was leaving Schlieben?’ Roma looked at me in amazement. ‘Yes!’ ‘That was me!’ I was ready to burst with joy and awe, flooded with emotions. I couldn’t believe it! My angel. ‘I’m not letting you go,’ I said to Roma. And in the back of the car on that blind date, I proposed to her. I didn’t want wait.
‘You’re crazy!’ she said. But she invited me to meet her parents for Shabbat dinner the following week. There was so much I looked forward to learning about Roma, but the most important things I always knew: her steadfastness, her goodness. For many months, in the worst of circumstances, she had come to the fence and given me hope. Now that I’d found her again, I could never let her go.,
That day, she said yes. And I kept my word. After nearly 50 years of marriage, two children and three grandchildren, I have never let her go.
[Author: Herman Rosenblat of Miami Beach, Florida].

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

THE MAGIC OF SHARING

I would like to begin with a beautiful story Fr. Sunny Jacob, SJ circulated on the WhatsApp recently. It’s worth listening to this story in silence as we enter Eastertide:

A Tale of Two Seas!
As you probably recall, the Dead Sea is really a Lake, not sea. It’s so high in salt content that the human body can float easily. You can almost lie down and read a book! The salt in the Dead Sea is as high as 35% - almost 10 times the normal ocean water. And all that saltiness has meant that there is no life at all in the Dead Sea. No fish. No vegetation. No sea animals. Nothing lives in the Dead Sea. And hence the name: Dead Sea.
The other sea is the Sea of Galilee. It turns out that the Sea of Galilee is just north of the Dead Sea. Both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea receive their water from the River Jordan. And yet, they are very, very different.
Unlike the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee is pretty, resplendent with rich, colourful marine life. There are lots of plants, and lots of fish too. In fact, the Sea of Galilee is home to over twenty different types of fishes.
Unlike the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee is pretty, resplendent with rich, colourful marine life. There are lots of plants, and lots of fish too. In fact, the Sea of Galilee is home to over twenty different types of fishes.
Here’s apparently why. The River Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee and then flows out. The water simply passes through the Sea of Galilee in and then out – and that keeps the sea healthy and vibrant, teeming with marine life.
But the Dead Sea is so far below the mean sea level, that it has no outlet. The water flows in from the River Jordan, but does not flow out. There are no outlet streams. It is estimated that over 7 million tons of water evaporate from the Dead Sea every day, leaving it salty. It is too full of minerals and unfit for any marine life.
The Dead Sea takes water from the River Jordan, and holds it. It does not share it.
Result? No life at all.
Think about it.
Reflection
Life is not just about getting. It’s about giving. We all need to be a bit like the Sea of Galilee. We are fortunate to get wealth, knowledge, love and respect. But if we don’t learn o give, we could all end up like the Dead Sea.
The love and the respect, the wealth and the knowledge could all evaporate, like the water in the Dead Sea. If we get the Dead Sea mentality of merely taking in more water, more money, more everything, the results can be disastrous.
Good idea to make sure that in the sea of your own life, you have outlets; many outlets. For love and wealth – and everything else that you get in your life, make sure you just don’t get, you give too.
Open the taps. And you’ll open the floodgates to happiness. Make that a habit to share and experience life…
Experience the magic of sharing…!
However, the magic of sharing will never take place in our life if our hearts are not clean and there are barriers between us and God – the barriers of greed, possessiveness, selfishness, pride, jealousy, envy, hatred, resentment etc. all of which are like ‘idols’ that we worship thus contravening the first commandment of God. These are ‘false gods’ that desecrate the temple of God destroying its holiness. Jesus tells the Pharisees and the scribes that it is not God who will destroy the temple but their own wickedness whereby they will bring ruin upon themselves “because you did not know the time of your visitation” (Lk. 19: 44). This was the warning of the prophets especially Jeremiah and recorded in 2 Chronicles 36 (1st Reading of the 4th Sunday of Lent).
It is not without reason that all the four gospels give importance to the episode of the ‘cleansing of the temple’ and St. John places it at the very beginning of the ministry of Jesus when Jesus is visiting Jerusalem for the Passover Feast (cf. Jn. 2:13-22 – Gospel of 3rd Sunday of Lent) ). This act of Our Lord represents the cleansing of the human heart and our re-birth in the Holy Spirit through our sharing in the death and resurrection of Christ in which the old sacrifices of the Law of Moses and all the ritual prescriptions have been totally supplanted, rather fulfilled by the one and only Law i.e. the law of self-sacrificing love as Christ has taught and lived in his life. To those who come to question his authority Jesus responds, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (Jn. 2: 19). This is an obvious reference to his death and resurrection. At his trial the words of Jesus are twisted and produced as an evidence against him to charge him for treason: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands’” (Mk. 14:58). Yet the false accusation was very prophetic. Jesus, in his resurrection, indeed has built a new temple not made with hands and that temple is himself as our Risen Lord and in him the Church as the body of the Risen Lord enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The one and only worship in this temple is DIVINE LOVE eternally embodied in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus and his Resurrection. It is God’s victory over sin and death in which we all participate through our faith in Jesus Christ. Hence the Church made of living stones does not require temples made of stone, however artistically beautiful and marvelously splendid they may be. St. Paul has clearly enunciated this truth: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19-22). Our Lord had already proclaimed this truth in his discourse with the Samaritan woman: “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father… But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (Jn. 4:21-23).
How did the ‘house of prayer’ become a ‘den of robbers’ (cf. Mt 21: 13)? Because the temple authorities had allowed commerce to flourish inside the temple precincts in the vast ‘court of the gentiles’ where currencies were exchanged for the temple currency (half-shekel) to be paid as temple tax and animals were sold for the temple sacrifices – and both at a huge mark up to fill up the pockets of the authorities. This ‘corruption’ was blatantly against the Law and the Prophets but nobody had the guts to question the authorities; only Jesus could with the authority he received from the Father, and he was ready to pay the price for it which followed very soon. It was injustice, exploitation and oppression that were going on inside the temple and all in the name of God! God certainly wouldn’t want such a temple for himself!
In stark contrast to the desecration of the temple through malpractices the Gospel tells us that the infinite healing love and mercy of God were flowing through Jesus in the court of the gentiles to heal the blind and the lame; and the children were crying out “Hosanna to the Son of David” to which the authorities strongly objected (cf. Mat. 21: 14-16). But the poor recognized the Messiah who was proclaiming the Kingdom of God and the true meaning of the Covenant.
Finally, I would like to underline that each one of us is the temple of the Holy Spirit, i.e. of the Holy Trinity, the truth which St. Paul emphasizes: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you... For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1Cor. 3: 16-17).
If I am the temple of God I cannot allow it to be desecrated – that is, used for a profane purpose.
“So now you have to sit quietly and examine what kind of commerce is going on in your holy temple. Is it totally clean? Who are the traders sitting there and defiling the temple? Are you providing shelter to any exploitation? It may be a deep rooted trauma caused in childhood that still resides there exploiting you and your future; it may be a hurt that was caused by someone long ago that is not healed and reconciled; it may be a laziness that does not allow you to do what you want to do; it may be something else. Examine it with the help of Jesus and then allow him to overturn the tables and set the doves free. Let him clean the temple so that you are prepared to meet him” [George Ponodath, S.J., Cave of Plenty: A Retreat Manual (Mumbai, St. Paul’s, 2019), pp. 104-105].

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

SAFE STRONGHOLD IN THE WOUNDS OF THE SAVIOUR

The season of Lent sanctifies our environment with the two-in-one spiritual meme: repentance and healing. The call of this holy season is not so much the external practices of fasting, abstinence and almsgiving as ‘legal’ impositions of the Church but the ‘healing of the heart’ of which these practices are a sign. If we hold hatred, resentment, anger, unforgiveness, vengefulness and all kinds of grudges in our heart we are not yet healed. If our attitudes and relationships in life are still dominated by the baggage of religion, caste, class, race, language, culture, etc. we are not yet healed. Christ Our Lord called for a radical transformation of our whole being through ‘repentance’ in order for us to enter the Kingdom of God.
Some of the Lenten hymns in the Liturgy of the Hours touch on this theme. For instance
“Forgive us all the wrong we do,
And purify each sinful soul.
What we have darkened heal with light,
And what we have destroyed, make whole” (Stanbook Abbey Hymnal).
“Lord Jesus, think on me,
And purge away my sins;
From earth-born passions set me free,
And make me pure within.”
“Lord Jesus, think on me
Amid the battle’s strife;
In all my pain and misery
Be thou my health and life” (Bishop Synesius 375-430).
The call to ‘conversion of heart’ is fundamental to salvation. Our Christian life begins at Baptism with our ‘yes’ to this call from the Lord. In the words of St. Paul: “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his…For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:5-11). To be dead to sin in all its manifestations and to be alive to God in all its fullness is the identity of the Christian and the invitation to the whole of humanity.
The wounds that we carry in our heart cause us to sin and our sins cause further wounds in our psyche, thus vitiating our relationship with God, with ourselves and with our neighbour. It is not without reason, therefore, that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is called the Sacrament of Healing, for what we need preeminently in life is ‘Inner Healing’ i.e. the healing of our heart from where spring our thoughts, words, desires and actions. The roots have to be healed first if the tree is to remain healthy and give fruit. And we have to produce the fruits of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).
In the Evening Prayer of Friday, Week 4 in Ordinary Time there is a beautiful prayer: “Lord, you healed the paralytic and forgave him his sins: - pardon all our guilt, and heal the wounds of our sins”. In the incident of the healing of the paralytic who was let down with his bed through the tiles of the roof (cf. Lk. 5: 17-26) Our Lord Jesus Christ heals him by forgiving his sins which clearly illustrates that our physical sicknesses are often related to our spiritual and emotional debilities and the three are interconnected. The Lord restores him to the right relationship with God, with himself, with society and he is also healed physically. Once again, it is St. Paul who presents this Christian anthropological vision: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Thess. 5:23).
If we have paid attention to the prayer the Priest recites before Communion we will realize that the Holy Eucharist is the sacrament par excellence of our holistic healing: “May the receiving of your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgement and condemnation, but through your loving mercy be for me protection in mind and body and a healing remedy”.
The Gospels narrate the various healing miracles performed by Jesus and the thousands who thronged after him in order to listen to his word and be healed by him with the belief that they would be healed even if they touched the fringe of his garment (cf. Mt. 9:20 ); and indeed they were healed. It is so evident that healing was the primary focus of the ministry of Jesus, but it was not physical healing alone; it was above all spiritual healing i.e. the forgiveness of sins which was primary in the mission of Jesus. Through spiritual healing came the psychological and the physical. And the person healed followed Jesus by believing in him as the Messiah and Redeemer and becoming his disciple. Healing led to faith in Jesus and faith in Jesus led to salvation. Hence all healing miracles in the Gospels are ultimately pointers to the eternal healing of God’s Kingdom where there will be no more suffering, no more pain, no more sorrow, no more sin, no more death and God will be all in all (cf. 1Cor. 15:28).
The healing love of God that flowed from the heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ during his ministry did not end with his Passion and Death on the Cross but rather it reached its summit on Calvary in such a manner that forever his Cross would be the sign and source of God’s healing love to sinful and broken humanity. Looking at the Cross we know how much God has loved us and how much we can trust in his Love.
On Good Friday we will hear these words from the Book of Isaiah: “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone stray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Is. 53:5-6). St. Peter sees the fulfillment of this prophecy in the suffering and death of Christ when he says: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1Pet. 2: 24-25).
For those who believe, the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the unquenchable fountain of infinite healing love that restores to us the unity and harmony in our personalities lost due to our woundedness and consequent sinfulness. We regain the image of God in which we were created and return to the sheepfold from which we had strayed. All this happens because we are HEALED. We become new person s in Christ, vehicles of his grace within the Church and human society and indeed for the whole of nature as it happened with St. Francis of Assisi.
The immortal prayer “Soul of My Saviour” which we also sing as a hymn has these striking words which contain the essence of our relationship with the Lord in the imagery of ‘hiding in his wounds’: “Deep in Thy wounds Lord hide and shelter me so that I may never, never part from Thee”. Yes, there couldn’t be a better ‘shelter’ than the wounds of Our Lord which are the source of healing for our own wounds.
The great mystic St. Bernard of Clairvaux in his sermon on the “Song of Songs” presents profound insights on the wounds of the Saviour:
“Where is a safe stronghold for the weak to find rest, if not in the wounds of the Saviour? There safety is measured by his power to save. The world rages, the body weighs me down, the devil sets his snares, but I do not fall for I am founded on the solid rock. I have sinned grievously, my conscience will be troubled but not in despair for I will recall the wounds of the Lord. For indeed, ‘he was wounded for our transgressions’. What sin so deadly cannot be absolved by the death of Christ? If then I call to mind such a powerful and efficacious remedy I can no longer be terrified by any disease no matter how virulent”.
St. Bernard lays stress on the infinite mercy of God that flows from the compassionate heart of the Lord so that nobody can ever say, ‘my sin is too great to be forgiven’. If anyone ever thinks in this way he/she is in error. The pierced hands and feet of the Lord and his open side are the ‘outlets’ through which mercy flows. The nail that pierced him is the key that opened the ‘door’ to God’s will. And what is God’s will? Goodness and love. What do I see through the opening? ‘That truly God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself’. The wound in his side caused by the piercing of the lance lays bare the heart of Christ which carries the great mystery of God’s love for us. The wounds, therefore, reveal the tender mercy of our God which has dawned from high. The meekness and humility and abundant mercy of God shine out all the more in the wounds of Christ.
None of us can ever claim any merit of our own before God. Our merit is the mercy of the Lord, and as long as the Lord is merciful I am also meritorious. Looking at the Cross I need not worry about my many sins because “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom. 5:20). And so St. Bernard concludes his reflection with this prayer: “And if the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting, then I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever.”
Let us sing of this Love and find in the open side of Christ our true Self, not two but ONE.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

FROM FALSE SELF TO TRUE SELF

St. Paul in his letter to the Colossians (Col 3: 1-17) places before us the touchstone of Christian life which hangs on one powerful expression within his exhortation: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). While we are still physically alive on this earth he calls us ‘dead’ – but dead to what? To sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, lies and everything that belongs to the ‘old self’ which we have put off in baptism. Because our lives are now hidden with Christ in God we have put on the ‘new self’ which belongs to Christ who is our life. This new self is the restoration of the divine image in which we were originally created; this image was lost due to sin but regained in the death and resurrection of Christ. What are the characteristics of being ‘alive’ in Christ? Compassionate heart, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forbearance, quick forgiveness and love “which binds everything together in perfect harmony”. When we live this life “hidden in Christ with God” the peace of Christ begins to rule in our hearts, and where there is peace and love there is also unity of the one body of Christ. Therefore he insists that we are no more “Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all” – all these man-made distinctions of the ‘old self’ or the ‘false self’ are removed because Christ, who is in all, is the only defining reality. We do everything, whether in word or deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Liberator.
Another beautiful characteristic of the ‘new self’ emphasized by St. Paul is ‘thankfulness’. In all our thoughts, words and actions we are called to give thanks to God the Father in Christ Jesus Our Lord; and thankfulness manifests itself in “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”. It is not a thankfulness to God when everything is going on well with us but also when things go ‘wrong’ as we experience so many times i.e. thankfulness in all circumstances.
This newness of life is ours through baptism but it can be lost too due to our sinfulness; therefore we need, by God’s grace, to constantly “seek the things that are above”; we need to “put to death what is earthly” in us and put on the ‘new self’ as “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved”. This is a daily striving, nay of every moment, as the Saints have taught us.
The season of Lent in particular, with its call to ‘repentance’, is God’s gift to us to enter into the process of renewal and move from worldly foolishness to divine wisdom, from the ‘false self’ to the ‘true self’ i.e. Christ in us and we in Christ. We have to allow the word of God to dwell in us richly and also help one another in all wisdom to live the new life “hidden with Christ in God”. This is the mystery of the Church, the body of Christ, that lives in Christ and wants to deepen her communion with him at every moment so that the world may believe. This mystery begins firstly in the Christian family and from there moves to the Church at large locally and universally.
‘Repentance’ is depicted in a powerful image in the Book of Revelation– that of Christ knocking on our door to enter and sit at table with us: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). What is the door on which Jesus knocks?
“It is the door of our false self. It is those places in our life where we have shut God out and enclosed ourselves within our self-referenced structure of being, where we are imprisoned in our false self. But notice the movement here. God doesn’t call us to clean up our act and come out to have a good relationship with God. God calls us to open the door so that God can come in, come into our false self. God’s cruciform love seeks to enter into the depths of our darkness, our sin, our deadness, our brokenness, our bondage. What will God do when God comes in? ‘I will eat with them and they with me’. The word that John uses here for ‘eat’ is the word that is used in the New Testament for the Lord’s Supper. When God enters into our false self, it is the sacrament of God’s presence, another image of the cross. God comes into the core of our self-referenced being. God comes to bring light into our darkness, cleansing into our sin, life into our deadness, healing into our brokenness, liberation into our bondage; to nurture us there into wholeness in the very image of God. But to open that door is to acknowledge our false self and to allow God to come in, knowing that when the love of God encounters the false self, it is always a cruciform encounter for God and for us.
How do we do this? How do we open the door? In fact, what is that door? We might think of the door as any aspect of our false self that prevents God from being God in our life in God’s terms. It may be a habit that holds us in its destructive bondage, an attitude that deforms our way of living, a perception that warps our view of others, a pattern of relationship with others that is destructive to both them and us, a way of reacting to circumstances that hinders us, a cancerous resentment whose poison is eating away the vitals of our being. Whatever the door may be for us, it is something to which our false self has become attached and in which we are finding something of our identity, meaning, value or purpose. The hinges of this door are mounted in the depths of our being. To put it simply, the door is something we love more than we love God. To open this door is to breach the wall of our false self, to release our possessive grip that holds the door closed, to respond to the cruciform love of the nail-scarred hand that knocks, to receive the nurture into Christlikeness that is offered.
Let’s say for example, one of your doors is a long-held, deep-seated resentment at someone who has wronged you. The anger, the bitterness, the pain of what they did have birthed dreams of revenge, which you have fed and nurtured so many times they have now become woven into your very being. Part of your false self has become indentified by this resentment. How do you open this door? By forgiving the one who wronged you! This is taking up the cross. Forgiveness is a death to your false self and its righteous indignation, its justified rationale for revenge, its fondling of the resentment. This death is extremely painful; everything in your false self screams out against it; this is truly dying with Christ. The instant you even touch this door of resentment with the faintest desire to open it by forgiveness, Christ is present to enable you to open it fully. He comes in, and as you continue to rely on him to enable you to forgive, you begin to experience his cruciform love nurturing you in that love, healing the hurt, removing the resentment, flushing away the bitterness until one day you realize that Christ’s love and forgiveness have become incarnate in you for the one who wronged you. Your Christ self has come to life!” [M. Robert Mulholland Jr The Deeper Journey. The Spirituality of Discovering Your true Self (St. Paul’s, Bandra, Mumbai, 2012)] pp. 79-81.
Ultimately it boils down to knowing God as our ‘Abba’ and experiencing the infinite love of the Father revealed in Jesus Christ. M. Robert Mulholland in the book cited above narrates a beautiful story:
In a meeting of young couples a woman shared something of her spiritual pilgrimage. She was the daughter of a prostitute – literally a job-related accident! She was raised up by aunts, uncles, grandparents, even her own mother from time to time. As a young teenager she was drawn into a church youth group and there she discovered the love of God in Christ and responded to that love. After graduation she went to a Christian college where she met a young man with whom she fell in love and they were married. They built up a wonderful home and two lovely children were born to them. Yet she had a compulsive need to know who her father was. She was spending every ounce of her energy and all her resources to try to find out who her father was but it was an impossible task. Her mother didn’t have the slightest idea who her clients were nine months before she was born. This compulsive ‘search’ was destroying her beautiful home. Then one day a miracle happened. She was standing alone at her kitchen sink, cleaning some dishes. In the pain and anguish of her heart, her tears running down her face and dropping into the dishwater, she cried out, ‘Oh God, who is my father?’ and she heard a voice say, ‘I am your Father’. The voice was so real she turned around to see who had sneaked into the kitchen behind her. There was no one. She heard the voice again, ‘I am your Father, and I have always been your Father’ . In that moment she was released from that obsessive need to know who her biological father had been. She discovered the truth of these words of St. Paul: “…even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world…In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons (and daughters) through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Eph. 1:4-5).
WThe purpose of the season of Lent is precisely to affirm us in our identity in Christ – that we are God’s children spoken forth out of the heart of God’s love before the foundation of the world that “we should be holy and blameless before him” i.e. to live a life in loving union with God which is our true self. Therefore Lent doesn’t mean only strict abstinence, fasting and other penances but it means “the abandonment of our false self, the relinquishment of our whole pervasive, self-referenced structure of being. Our cross and Jesus’ cross are united. His cross is the presence of his love at the core of our false self” (ibid, p. 79). Lenten practices of penance, unless they are expressions of the inner conversion of heart through repentance, may still reinforce the ‘religious false self’ of the Scribes and Pharisees so much detested by Jesus in his encounter with them because they set much store by the external observances and “neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Mt. 23:23). St. Paul was also a highly educated and fanatic Pharisee, but, after his encounter with the Risen Lord and his conversion to the Way, he considered all such practices of the law as mere “rubbish” in comparison to the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” and “be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ” (Phil. 3: 7-11).
The Church in Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) is the archetypal false self. They proudly boast that they are rich, have prospered, and need nothing, but they don’t realize that they are “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked” (Rev. 3:17). In their blindness they have become lukewarm i.e. neither hot nor cold; so our Lord Jesus Christ, the true and faithful witness, threatens to spit the Laodiceans out of his mouth unless they become zealous and repent.
What do they need to do in order to be saved?
They need to seek the true riches of God’s Kingdom which the Lord alone can offer us. He invites them to buy from him “gold refined by fire” so that they may be rich; “white garments” to cover the shame of their nakedness; “salve” to anoint their eyes so that they may see. All these are symbols of the ‘new self’ or ‘true self’ in Christ.
What happened at Laodicea can happen with any church that becomes comfortably settled, organized and inward-looking over passage of time through very many structures. This church begins to gradually diminish in its evangelical zeal and to focus more on its own maintenance. The original fervor of the Gospel disappears individually and collectively and what is left is an ‘organization’, however grandiose, whose growth has practically come to a standstill.
May the grace of God enable us to transcend the ‘old self’ and put on the ‘new self’ in Christ.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

WE ARE ALL SISTERS AND BROTHERS OF ONE ANOTHER

The negative side of Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly dampened our spirits but the positive side certainly lifts up our spirits. We have seen how the pandemic has united the whole world as one human family above nationalities, languages, cultures and religions. We have realized that the problems of one person are the problems of all, that we are part of one another, that we are sisters and brothers of one another, that no one is saved alone but we can only be saved together.
As we make our entry into the New Year 2021 we have for our meditation some radically profound thoughts offered to us by Pope Francis in his most recent encyclical Fratelli Tutti promulgated on October 3, 2020, the vigil of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, because the expression “fratelli tutti” (all are sisters and brothers) comes directly from this great saint and his radical spirituality based on the Gospel. The love that St. Francis of Assisi spoke of transcends the barriers of geography and distance; its essence consists in a fraternal openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate and love each person regardless of physical proximity and place of birth as well as abode.
It is Christ Our Lord who has taught us this love first and foremost, being himself God’s love incarnate. If our love for Christ is genuine it will influence all our attitudes and relationships and flow into every thought, word and deed. This is what happened with St. Francis of Assisi who was so totally immersed in Christ that nothing else could emanate from him except love, joy and peace. Wherever he went, he sowed seeds of peace and walked alongside the poor, the abandoned, the infirm and the outcast, the least of his brothers and sisters. He only wanted to spread the love of God which entails humility and complete renunciation of the desire to wield power and authority over others. He became one of the poor and sought to live in harmony with all.
The encyclical Fratelli Tutti articulates in eight chapters a call for all human persons to recognize and live out our common fraternity which is being threatened by the trends of today. There are many factors that are holding humanity back from the development of a universal fraternity and move towards justice, peace and unity. The Pope calls these trends the ‘dark clouds’ that are gathering over a world that is ‘closed’ – in other words trends that run contrary to seeing each other as brothers and sisters according to the vision of the Gospel.
If we look at the world today, the sense of belonging to a single human family is fading, and the dream of working together for justice and peace seems an outdated utopia as proved by tendencies such as aggressive nationalism that marginalizes sections of people in a country, throwaway culture based on feverish consumerism, economic globalization that creates more poverty and injustice than it purports to bring in prosperity, unequal distribution of wealth between the rich and the poor through exploitation of the poor, disregard for human rights and human dignity especially of women, religious persecution, disdain towards migrants, misuse of digital media for purposes contrary to moral values, etc.
Yet, despite the dark clouds which cannot be ignored, there are new paths of hope because God never ceases to sow abundant seeds of goodness in our human family. This has been proved by the Covid-19 pandemic crisis which saw hundreds of frontline warriors putting their lives on the line for the sake of the other - doctors, nurses, pharmacists, storekeepers and supermarket workers, cleaning personnel, caretakers, transport workers, men & women working to provide essential services and public safety, volunteers, priests, and religious … We began to realize that our lives are interwoven with and sustained by ordinary people valiantly shaping the decisive events of our shared history. They have epitomized the teaching of Our Lord in the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ (cf. Lk. 10:25-37) on being ‘neighbour without borders’ to the most vulnerable.
What is the core message of this parable in which the Lord actually sums up his entire Gospel when he says “You go, and do likewise” (Lk. 10:37). It is none other than the Great Commandment he has given us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and our neighbour as we love ourselves (cf. Mt. 22: 35-40). The same the Lord has described, after the washing of the feet, as the ‘new commandment’ he has given us to love one another as he has loved us (cf. Jn. 13: 34-36). Love, the Holy Father says, is more than just a series of benevolent actions. Our love for others moves us to seek the best for their lives. It makes possible a social friendship that excludes no one and a fraternity that is open to all. It impels us towards universal communion. Hence true love calls for open societies that integrate everyone as brothers and sisters because love acknowledges the worth of every human person and his/her dignity which is a fundamental right. The radical individualism that is promoted in the world today will never lead to true liberty, equality and fraternity; it cannot make us more free, more equal, more fraternal but only pave the way for the ultimate destruction of humanity.
When we pursue the good of others and of the entire human family we help individuals and societies to mature in the moral values that foster integral human development. These values are the fruits of the Holy Spirit as described by St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians (Gal. 5:22-23). These values need to be passed on from generation to generation; otherwise what is handed down are selfishness, violence, corruption in its various forms, indifference and, ultimately, a life closed to transcendence and entrenched in individual interests.
This brings us to the role of the family which is the first place where the values of love and fraternity, togetherness and sharing, concern and care for others are lived out and handed on as flowing from our faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Next in line come the teachers who, in their challenging task of training children and youth in schools and other settings, should be conscious that their responsibility extends also to the moral, spiritual and social aspects of life.
We have to aspire and toil for a world that provides land, housing and work for all. In order this to happen we may have to re-envisage the social role of property and begin to reflect seriously on ‘rights without borders’. The Holy Father is conscious that his radical thinking may sound unrealistic but he is also firmly convinced that the path to lasting peace will only be possible on the basis of a global ethic of solidarity, interdependence and cooperation in the whole human family.
A heart open to all will welcome, protect, promote and integrate the migrants and not discriminate against them. A healthy openness to the other is never a threat to one’s own identity but a way to mutual cultural enrichment which is necessary to understand the inexhaustible richness of human life and even of ourselves and our native land. The achievement of this universal vision certainly demands a better kind of politics, one truly at the service of the common good and not one that hinders the progress towards a different world. True politics will help the world to advance towards a civilization of love, a love that integrates and unites and not the other way round. Every political leader must make this principle the touchstone of his/her political genuineness.
There is one word that is indispensable in building a world of love and this word is ‘dialogue’. It sums up everything contained in approaching, speaking, listening, looking at, coming to know and understand one another, and to find common ground. Dialogue opens the door to healing of open wounds and to building peace among nations and communities. But there is also need for peace makers, men and women prepared to work boldly and creatively to initiate processes of healing and renewed encounter.
Since much of our conflicts have to do with religious differences, the different religions, based on their respect for each human person as a creature called to be a child of God, contribute significantly to building fraternity and defending justice in society. Inter-faith dialogue is not for the sake of diplomacy but to establish friendship, peace and harmony, and to share spiritual and moral values and experiences in a spirit of truth and love.
With these sublime thoughts to inspire and guide us let us enter joyfully into 2021 determined to build a new world of liberty, equality and fraternity in every small context of our lives.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

NO HALF MEASURES

The mystery of the Incarnation reveals the great truth of our salvation: God gave himself totally to us by assuming our human nature so that our human nature could be freed from the corruption of sin and participate fully in the divine nature. The total self-giving we witness in the manger of Bethlehem will be completed on the Cross at Calvary when Our Lord would shed the last drop of his blood for our salvation, and uttering the words “it is finished” would surrender his spirit into the hands of his Father.
What marks this great mystery of the Incarnation is the ‘totality’ of love whereby God has loved us, not in half measure but in its fullness –which is indeed infinite. Unless God’s love was total we would never have been saved; but God’s love translated into mercy, kindness, compassion and all that belongs to the Holy Spirit is always total and it cannot but be so.
It is not without reason, therefore, that the Gospel of salvation places accent entirely on ‘totality’ as demanded by Christ himself. There is no salvation in half measures.
Recently on October 10, 2020 a very young boy of 15, Carlo Acutis, was declared ‘blessed’ in Assisi, Italy – the town of St. Francis of Assisi. He was born in England on 03.05.1991 but of Italian descent. He died at Monza in Italy on 12.10 2006 of acute promyelocytic leukemia and was buried in Assisi at his own request because of his love for St. Francis of Assisi. Before his death he had told his mother that he was offering all his sufferings to the Lord for Pope Bendict XVI and for the Church. He was a normal fun-loving boy, very handsome and intellectually gifted. He also had the biggest heart and loved everyone he knew; but most of all he loved Christ, although his parents were not practicing Catholics at all. His mother became one only after Carlo was born and began seeking the sacraments for himself at a very young age. When he was seven he convinced his mother to take him to Mass and the priest declared him ready for his First Holy Communion. After that, he attended Mass every day without ever missing one and went to Confession weekly. At the age of eleven, Carlo received Confirmation, and this is when he began his mission to spread the word about the Eucharist.
One quality of Carlo that no other saint has ever been known to possess in the history of the Church is that he was a computer wizard who used his computer mastery not to become a video game legend but to create a website http://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/Liste/list.html that showcased Eucharistic miracles from all over the world, which he researched himself. Through this website, which was accessible from anywhere in the world, he spread God’s love, and he was able to convert people to the faith in a new and unconventional way.
During the Mass at the opening of his tomb on 01.10.2020, Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino, the Archbishop of Assisi, spoke about Carlo Acutis and the way he was able to reach out to people from anywhere: “The computer…has become a way of going through the streets of the world, like the first disciples of Jesus, to bring to hearts and homes the announcement of true peace.”
Carlo Acutis was only in his teens when he devoted his life entirely to God. It was astonishing that, at such a young age, he had a clear purpose in life which he fulfilled in one fifth of average life span. His constant faith in God was always clear in his mind and his faith wasn’t once shaken, even on his death bed. His mother recounted some words of Carlo himself: “When we face the sun we get a tan… but when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist we become saints.”
He is a teen techie saint of the millennial generation of the 21st century, a model for all digital savvy young people who are called to learn from him how to channelize their talents in the service of the Gospel with complete devotion to God; and to all of us, whether young or old, he is a model of faith, love and generosity of heart in the midst of manifold struggles and sufferings.
The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ is exactly this: a 100% ‘yes’ to God with an undivided heart. The call of the first disciples illustrates the integrity demanded of the Christian calling. As soon as Jesus called them to follow him, immediately they left their nets, their boat, their parents, their profession, their livelihood, indeed everything and followed him (cf. Mt. 4: 18-22; Lk. 5: 1-11). Jesus would illustrate it further in many sayings such as: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of heaven” (Lk. 9: 62); “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14: 26-27).
The challenge that the Lord put to the rich young man who came asking for the key to eternal life was to go and sell everything he had and give it to the poor if he wished to be ‘perfect’ and then come and follow the Lord; but the Gospel says he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions and he didn’t want to part with them.
What the Lord is asking from us is not mediocrity but perfection. Total detachment not only from material possessions and human relations but also from our ‘ego’ is the way to perfection. Perfection is to hold the Lord as the ONE and ONLY good above every other good and the ONE pearl of the highest value above which there is no other value. In other words total detachment is the way to eternal life. It is certainly a difficult way but not impossible as the Lord assures the disciples (cf. Mt. 19: 26). The challenge of the Gospel is very clear: “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14:33). The accent is on ‘all’.
In the Acts of the Apostles we read how the Holy Spirit led the early Christians to complete selflessness so as to be able to have “all things in common” (Acts 2: 44) and how Ananias and Sapphira were punished for their insincerity (cf. Acts 5: 1-11).
This applies to everything that constitutes the new life in Christ beginning from ‘repentance’ (cf. Mt. 4:17). The original Greek word ‘metanoia’ for repentance refers to a complete change of heart, a round-about turn in life’s direction. The Lord does not brook mediocrity. If repentance is reluctant, selective and half-hearted it cannot be repentance at all. We may be fooling ourselves, but we cannot fool God because he sees the heart. The lost son returned in poverty and misery to the prodigal father (cf. Lk. 15) in utter humility and complete surrender to the mercy of his father; and that total self-emptying of his pride and ego in repentance won him the compassion of his prodigal father in a measure he had never imagined – he wanted to be a servant only but was reinstated in honour as the son. The mercy that flows from the prodigal father is unlimited and ‘total’. This is the image of the Heavenly Father that Jesus always tried to place before the people, both those who followed him and those who opposed him – the image of the Father who loves and forgives without measure. During the ‘Year of Mercy’ (December 8, 2015-November 20, 2016) we reflected on the theme “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Lk. 6:36) which also translates as “Your therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5: 48). This is the daily Christian spirituality to which the Lord has called us in baptism. The Holy Spirit helps us grow on this path until we reach the fullness of life in eternity.
At the summit of his life the Lord has given us the command of love which sums up the whole Gospel (cf. Jn. 13: 34; Jn. 15:13-14). This is not a good ‘advice’ which we can accept or reject or a beautiful ‘suggestion’ worth trying if we wish to, but a ‘command’ from the Lord which, if broken, will seriously jeopardize our salvation and our witness, because the Lord has clearly stated: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (J. 13: 35). Love is no love at all if it’s half-hearted, lukewarm, and worse still, cold. Coldness of love is one of the signs of the ‘end of the age’ (cf. Mt. 24: 3-14).
When the Lord asks us to forgive, it is not seven times but seventy times seven i.e. always (cf. Mt. 18: 21-22). He states the truth very clearly without mincing words: “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” (Mt. 18:35).
We cannot celebrate the Holy Mass worthily and still hold hatred, resentments, anger, ill-will and enmity in our hearts against our brother or sister. Our celebration will be hypocritical and we will be either making a mockery of the Mass or devaluing what we celebrate. Forgiveness has to be ‘total’ and not in half measures. Hence St. Paul clearly lays down the rule for Christian life: “do not let the sun go down on your anger… Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:26-32).
Our generosity, if it has to be generosity at all, should flow from a complete trust in God, in other words ‘total’. The model for us is the poor widow who, out of her poverty, put in two small copper coins in the offering box as against the rich people who put in large sums out of their abundance. Our Lord says “she put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mk. 12: 41-44). The evangelical way of life is to be ready, without grumbling and self-pity, to offer the other cheek, to give the cloak as well, to go two miles (cf. Mt. 5: 38-42), to generously and courageously offer all to God for love.
Our Lord abhors ‘lukewarmness’. The Church in Laodicea is strongly reprimanded in the Book of Revelation: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16).
We pray that Our Lord Jesus Christ may not spit us out of his mouth but, on the contrary, we may open the door to him when we hear his knock (cf. Rev. 3: 20-22). He wants to share a meal with us – the most beautiful imagery of intimacy and fellowship. That’s not all – he wants to make us conquerors with him over sin and death like Blessed Carlo Acutis, so that we can be seated with him on his throne just as he sat with the Father on his throne!
This is the meaning of Advent and Christmas – welcoming Jesus into our hearts as we await his Second Coming in power and glory to judge heaven and earth and to establish his kingdom here forever.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

DEATH: PASSAGE TO FULLNESS OF LOVE

Much as our survival instinct makes us militate against death, we know that one day we have to die and leave this world. The one undeniable reality of our life is death and none can escape it whether we are rich or poor, high or low. The saying is absolutely true that ‘death is the universal leveler’ and if we have wisdom enough to open our eyes and realize this truth we would definitely seek to live our lives every day in a manner more in conformity to the values of the Kingdom of God as laid out in the Gospel of Our Jesus Christ rather than those of the ‘world’ which lead to eternal damnation. The Lord has spoken of the ‘narrow gate’ and the ‘hard way’ that leads to life and the ‘wide gate ’and the ‘easy way’ that leads to destruction (cf. Mt. 7: 13-14). In other words our life here on earth should be lived in such wise that we lay up for ourselves “treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Mt. 6:20). Therefore our heart has to be constantly focused on this eternal treasure i.e. the Kingdom of God, rather than on the ephemeral and insecure treasures of this world which deceive us. In his temptations during the forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert Our Lord has demonstrated beyond doubt that the devil is in control of the earthly treasures and makes every effort to trap human beings with the lure of pleasures, wealth, power and popularity, in other words the worship of our ego. And more often than not we fall prey to his temptations. The defeat of the devil which began in the desert was culminated by the Lord on the cross when he said “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30) and bowing his head commended his spirit to the Father. The Resurrection of Jesus reveals the glory that awaits us when we remain faithful to our Risen Lord on this earth and readily take up our cross and follow him in discipleship as he has declared to us without mincing words: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Lk. 9: 23-24).
There is no doubt self-denial is the door to eternal life and not self-fulfillment. This truth is summed in that one commandment of the Lord: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn. 15:12) which goes along with the call to ‘abide in him’ and ‘abide in his love’. Hence what makes life meaningful on this earth is to strive to live the mystery of God’s love which Christ has opened for us and taste already here and now, as in the Apostles’ experience of the Transfiguration, the glory of the Resurrection which is our true destiny.
In the calendar of the Church, the month of November begins with the commemoration of All Saints but immediately followed by the remembrance of All the Dead – to help us to keep before our eyes both the truth of eternal life and the inescapability of death.
With Covid-19 killing people in millions globally the year 2020 seems to have been a ‘year of death’; but in our Christian faith we have approached the tragedy with the courage that comes from the Holy Spirit and in his power we have succeeded in turning this evil into a moment of Christian witness to love and hope. We join St. Paul in exclaiming: “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1Cor.15:55).
In our own Archdiocese of Delhi we have faced the death of three of our priests – Fr. Joseph Thomas (March 20), Fr. Augustine Kuriapilly (August 30) and Fr. Cirilo Rodrigues (September 7). Some of us have lost our loved ones and there have been deaths even due to Covid-19 complications. Any death anywhere leaves us with a deep sense of sadness, loss and pain but the death of our loved ones and those we have been closely associated with leaves behind a painful sense of ‘emptiness’. Yet we know, by placing our trust in the One who is the Resurrection and the Life we are victorious over our sadness.
Death is an enemy to those whose eyes are set on building a secure life for themselves on this earth alone like the ‘Rich Fool’ (cf. Lk. 12:13-21). St. Paul warns us: “For many of whom I have already told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things” (Phil. 3:18-19). They are afraid of death. But if life is accepted as God’s gift to be made fruitful in love, then death will be the culmination of life’s journey, of life’s self-offering. Like St. Francis of Assisi who called death ‘sister death’ we will not be afraid of death. Again we listen to the voice of St. Paul: “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” (Rom. 14:8-9).
The Church exhorts us to be always alert and joyful to receive the Lord whenever he comes, with a joyful cry of welcome “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20). The only question the Lord will ask is, ‘Do you love me and do you also love my sisters and brothers, especially those most in need’ (cf. the parable of the Last Judgement in Mt. 25:31-46).
The late Vietnamese Archbishop Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, now on the path to beatification, writes in his book, Testimony of Hope (Pauline Publications, 2001): “Death is the most serious matter in life. Among all of life’s trials, it is the greatest. It is definitive. Death is the culmination of our life, the last offering that we can give to God here on earth. But we can be sure that in that hour we will be assisted, like Joseph, by Jesus and Mary” (pp. 206-207). Then he goes on to state: “Like Jesus, we must live for our own ‘hour’. Each of us has an ‘hour’, and it is good to live in expectation of it and to offer it now for the purposes God has entrusted to us, even if we are in the full vigor of physical strength” (p. 207). In his characteristic humour he says that Jesus is not a good teacher because he has already revealed to us the ‘questions’ he will ask at the ‘final exam’. He has not only leaked the questions but he has completely simplified the entire question paper into one simple question “Love God and your neighbour”. And he ends his reflection with this prayer: “Jesus, you are our teacher, our judge, our reward! I have no more fear of being judged, but I ardently desire to meet my judge who is so good, generous, and merciful”.
Another great spiritual author, the late Fr. Henri Nouwen, calls death ‘passage to fullness of love’. In his book Finding My Way Home: Pathways to Life and the Spirit (St. Paul’s, 2002) he narrates the near-death experience he had after a car accident (pp. 99-125) and how, for the first time in his life, he began to contemplate death “not through the eyes of fear but through the eyes of love”; “Somehow, if only for a moment, I had known God, felt unconditionally loved, and I had experienced being a lover”(p. 99). That experience was a turning point in his life. He realized the uselessness of carrying ‘hurts’, ‘unforgiveness’, ‘hatred’, ‘anger’ and ‘resentment’ in his heart. He had to forgive and ask for forgiveness before his death (cf. Sirach 27:30 - 28:7 – the first reading of 24th Sunday of the Year A).
Against the prevailing attitudes to death which are mostly concerned with the tension of ‘being cared for by others in old age and sickness’ and the focus on the ‘hereafter’ (purgatory, heaven, hell) he learnt to see death ‘through the eyes of Jesus’. For Jesus death was not an ending “but a passage to something much greater” (p. 102). He spoke of his death as ‘necessary’ so that he could send us his Spirit, the Paraclete, the Counsellor who will reveal to us the meaning of all that he has taught us, thereby enabling us to form a community and grow in spiritual strength that flows from a relationship with the Risen Lord that was not possible before his death.
This leads us to the question, ‘Who is Jesus’, and we get the response, ‘the Beloved One of the Father’. But this affirmation is not just about Jesus; it about each one of us with whom Jesus shares his identity in baptism. We are God’s beloved sons and daughters because we “belong to God from all eternity” (p. 105); our belovedness preceded our birth. If we dare believe that we are ‘beloved’ before we are born, we may suddenly realize that our life is very very special:
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4: 30-32).
“You become conscious that you were sent here just for a short time, for twenty, forty, or eighty years, to discover and believe that you are beloved child of God. The length of time doesn’t matter. You are sent into this world to believe in yourself as God’s chosen one and then to help your brothers and sisters know that they also are beloved sons and daughters of God who belong together. You’re sent into this world to be a people of reconciliation. You are sent to heal, to break down the walls between you and your neighbours, locally, nationally, and globally. Before all the distinctions, the separations, and the walls built on foundations of fear, there was unity in the mind and heart of God. Out of that unity, you are sent into this world for a little while to claim that you and every other human being belongs to that same God of love who lives from eternity to eternity” (p. 106).
This is the secret Henri Nouwen learnt in his death experience. From then on he set on the path of affirming the chosenness, belovedness and blessedness of others and to make the failures and losses in his life not a passage to anger, blame, hatred, depression, and resentment but passages to something new, wider and deeper. In our belovedness as God’s children we are called to grow in love as spouse, parent, brother or sister and when the time comes for us to leave this world to attain full communion with God it is possible for us to leave behind our spirit as the greatest gift to those we love. Thus we will make our life abundantly fruitful through our ‘leaving’, just as Jesus made it so through his death-resurrection and the outpouring of his Spirit on the Church.
“This brief lifetime is my opportunity to receive love, deepen love, grow in love, and give love. When I die love continues to be active, and from full communion with God I am present by love to those I leave behind” (p. 114).
There will not be anymore fear of death, rather we will befriend death because love transforms our death or another’s from nightmare to gift, and love is stronger than death.
May the commemoration of all the dead on November 2 and especially of our loved ones bring to our awareness that our life has to become a journey of love and our death a passage to fullness of love.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL

It is not a novelty to state that every time we are tempted to sin there is a moment of God’s grace that pulls us back but still our weakness takes the better of us and we give in to the wiles of the devil. Every one of us will have this experience, especially when we look back on our past sins and mistakes and when we analyse our present bahaviour patterns and our bondages that prevent us from allowing the Spirit to have full control of our lives and determine our thoughts, desires and actions.
In the Our Father Our Lord has asked us to pray unceasingly: “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”. This is our earnest plea to the Father to take care of us and deliver us from the traps of the enemy, the devil on a daily basis. Among our many sufferings and pains are the obstacles the devil creates in our daily life.
St. Peter reminds us: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith … And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1Pet. 5: 6-10).
A little earlier St. James exhorts us: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 5: 6-8).
In both the places submission to God in humility is the key to defeat the devil; pride is linked to the control of the devil over us. Pride amounts to ‘wanting to be like God’ which was the temptation our first parents succumbed to. It is certainly not our ‘true self’; therefore, ‘to sin’ is to act according to our ‘false self’.
Fr. Elias Vella OFM Cap in his book Heal Me My Lord (Bandra: St. Paul’s, 2018) devotes chapter 26 to “Deliverance from Evil Spirits”. I would like to make a brief reference to the three areas he mentions: temptation, oppression and possession.
Temptation is allurement by the devil to do what we are not supposed to do or discouragement from doing what we are supposed to do. Even the greatest of saints were tempted. The Gospel of Luke clearly describes the temptations Our Lord Jesus Christ underwent in the desert and how he defeated the devil. When the body is at its weakest point due to hunger and it craves for food there comes the devil with the fantasies of pleasure, power and popularity to fool Jesus away from the path of suffering and prayer. He tempts Jesus not to obey the Father and not to embrace the Cross but the devil had to beat a retreat because Jesus matched every temptation with the weapon of God’s word. However, Luke tells us that the devil “departed from him until an opportune time” (Lk. 4:13). There is no doubt Our Lord was tempted to refuse to drink the chalice till the last moment of his sorrowful but glorious passion; it was the Father who strengthened his beloved Son to go ahead and complete his mission on the Cross by shedding the last drop of his blood for our salvation.
The closer we are to Jesus the more we will be tempted. As such, we become more interesting targets for the devil. Those who are already in his clutches need not be tempted but the devil does all in his power to attract towards him those who are in the Kingdom of God.
Oppression is the strategy of the devil to search for the weak points in our personality – such as jealousy, haughtiness, ambition, sexuality, gluttony, attachment to money, aggressiveness, hatred and so on – and direct his attacks in these areas which belong to our wounded self. He lets us go on quietly in other areas, but then we feel oppressed in some weak point and unable to hold out. Nevertheless God’s almighty grace will never abandon us if we pray to God for healing and strength.
In his letters St. Paul never ceases to place before us the challenge of our Christian calling to be new creatures, to put on the new self, to be renewed in the spirit of our minds, to grow in the likeness of Christ. He clearly connects some of our negative behaviours with the power of the devil over us. For instance anger, bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness which are allowed to fester in the heart and take away our peace of mind are from the devil. They should be replaced by the peace that comes from the Holy Spirit:
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph. 4: 26-27).
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4: 30-32).
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other , to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Gal. 5: 16-17).
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God …Put to death therefore what is earthly in you…In these you once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Col. 3: 1-10).
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:5-6).
Possession is not very common but it does exist. Here the devil possesses and tortures the body, will, memory, mind and heart of the person, but he cannot touch the soul as long as one doesn’t open the door to him through sin. Possession happens because the devil hates the human body which was assumed by the Eternal Word at Incarnation and thence became the temple of the Holy Trinity, sanctified by the Holy Spirit to one day rise again gloriously at the Resurrection and share forever in the eternal glory of God, a privilege which the devil has lost due to disobedience.
In some way or the other we all fall victim to the temptations of the devil, but we should never consider ourselves defeated. The devil is already defeated and a loser by the power of the Cross of Jesus. The devil knows this, yet will do everything in his power to weaken the Kingdom of God by attacking the children of the Kingdom.
However God has provided us with strong weapons for our defence. Which are some of these weapons?
• The Holy Eucharist which is the memorial of our redemption and the centre and summit of our Christian life;
• The Sacrament of Reconciliation which heals us and reconciles us with God, the Church, human society and ourselves;
• Praise and worship of the Holy Trinity who dwells in us and whose temple we have become in baptism;
• Constant calling on the name of Jesus in our heart and invoking his mercy e.g. ‘Lord, have mercy on me a sinner’;
• Praying to the Holy Spirit to fall afresh on us and fill us, heal us, melt us, mould us and use us;
• Reading the Bible and meditating on God’s word for my life every day;
• Fixing our gaze on our Blessed Mother and pleading for her intercession for us;
• Remembering the saints and reflecting on their lives and their teachings;
• Praying the Holy Rosary daily;
• Never missing out on the traditional prayers of the Church at different times and events of the day.
Our Lord has won the victory over the devil and, in Him, we too are and will be, victorious. May Our Blessed Mother intercede for us as we dedicate the Rosary month of October to her.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

THE SEVEN SORROWS OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER

The Feast of the Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrated on September 15 close on the heels of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14 is a call to gaze on our Blessed Mother and learn from her the way of discipleship whereby we embrace the Cross and not run away from it. Her sorrows speak to us as we mourn and weep in our own ‘vale of tears’, but they also are a pointer to and assurance of the joys of eternal life –“What the eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1Cor. 2:9). The sorrows of our Blessed Mother were many but they have been numbered as ‘seven’ according to the Biblical tradition of the ‘perfect number’. Which are these seven sorrows?
The First Sorrow: The Prophecy of Simeon: “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (Lk.2:27-35). This searing announcement of their child’s destiny certainly took both Mary and Joseph by utter surprise and perhaps threw them off balance but Mary preserved these words in her heart as she had done from the moment of her ‘fiat’ (Lk. 1:38) and together with Joseph surrendered herself to God’s will. Thus her fears were overcome as she let go into God’s hands to be instrument of his Divine Plan for the world.
We cannot escape the ‘Simeon announcement’ in our life too. When everything seems to be cruising comfortably well an unexpected ‘bad news’ can throw us out of our comfort zone and bring pain, struggle, suffering, grief and turmoil as we look into the future. It is at a moment like this that we need to be grounded in God as Mary was and learn from her the power of prayer and silence. Both Mary and Joseph teach us the evangelical quality of taking one day at a time and living it fully with gratitude to God for everything that we enjoy in life. We cannot take anything for granted; everything is God’s gift.
The Second Sorrow: The Flight into Egypt: “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him’” (Mt. 2:13). This was a puzzling dream, nonetheless a warning from God that Herod was after the child to kill him; hence the parents had to flee into Egypt in the dead of the night to save the child without bothering about the hazards of the journey, the comforts along the way and the accommodation in a foreign land. All of a sudden they had become refugees and migrants, like the millions in the world today, especially the poor and marginalized. Our own country witnessed, and continues to witness, the horrible plight of the poor and deprived migrant labourers who had to trek home thousands of kilometers after the lockdown on March 25. And, exactly like the Holy Family, thousands of them are returning to the cities once again in search of employment.
There are various kinds of ‘Herods’ in our life who force our ‘flight into Egypt’ and necessitate radical decisions in life with an unknown future. These ‘Herods’ can be destructive situations, persons, relationships, ideologies, memories, our own habits and patterns of behaviour, etc. etc. Our fleeing is often a stepping into the unknown, into insecurity, but trusting in God we need not fear at all as Mary and Joseph so beautifully testify in their life. They moved into the unknown in order to find freedom and safety. They faced their fears and accepted the consequences of leaving a harmful situation with God as their chief source of strength and sustenance.
The Third Sorrow: The Loss of Child Jesus in the Temple: “And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him” (Lk. 2: 43-45). It was the most panicky situation for Mary and Joseph when they realized that their son Jesus was lost; and for Mary her mind was abuzz with the worst kind of thoughts – has he been kidnapped and sold as a slave, is he alive, is he dead? So they retrace their steps back to Jerusalem with all kinds of fears and apprehensions, in tiredness and sadness but without giving up hope in God’s love to work a miracle. And what a joy when they find him, sitting among the learned rabbis and speaking to them! Still, his response to their question was confusing and mysterious, if not downright hurting; yet Mary preserves it in her heart and ponders over it as Jesus grows up and begins his ministry.
We know the anxiety we go through when we lose our loved one/friend in a crowd and the immense joy we experience when we find the one we lost for a while; yet there are many kinds of ‘losses’ we encounter in life. We are not alone in such moments; Our Blessed Mother is there with us sharing our sorrow, anxiety, pain and fear and helping us to turn them into instruments of joy.
The Fourth Sorrow: Mary Meets Jesus Carrying His Cross: “And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him” (Lk. 23:27). Mary knew that her Son was courageous in standing for the truth of God’s Covenant and that one day he would have to pay the price for his forthrightness. The day came when she heard to her horror that the authorities had convicted him and sentenced him to the most ignominious death on the cross, the death of a political criminal, which he did not deserve at all because he was innocent. In one shuddering gasp she saw her Son carrying the cross in the horror of his pain and their eyes met. In that instant she felt all of his pain as if it was her own and she walked in the suffering footsteps of her Son in silent tears till Calvary. Finally she knew the ‘sword’ Simeon had prophesied.
One of the toughest things in life is to walk the journey of intense suffering of someone who is dear to us. The fourth sorrow of Mary teaches and inspires us how to meet the pain of others and our own pain as well. It was on the journey to Golgotha that she let her Son know by her presence that her love was with him, that she would be walking every step of the way as she entered into his passion and death with him. When we are meeting pain, whether it be that of one we love or our own pain, we are walking in the footsteps of Mary as she walked with her Son on the road to the hill of crucifixion.
The Fifth Sorrow: Mary Stands Beneath the Cross of Jesus: “but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene” (Jn. 19:25). Mary’s heart was broken even before they reached the pace called Golgotha. Each pain-filled step Jesus took pierced her heart. It was more than a mother could bear, but somehow she did not break completely. That deep, inner strength she had always relied on was there for her on that terrible day. It was divine gift of courage she desperately needed. She stood inside his pain until his last words to his Abba, “Into your hands, I commend my spirit”. She knew he had completed his mission to the last iota.
There is so much suffering in our world. Everywhere people stand beneath the excruciating pain of watching someone suffer and even die. Like Mary beneath the cross of her beloved Son, all that we can do is ‘be there’ and wait with the one who is hurting, offering our love and support. And the crosses people carry are not only physical but also emotional – and emotional wounds are also very painful.
The Sixth Sorrow: Mary Receives the Dead Body of Jesus: “After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body” (Jn. 19: 38). Mary was allowed to hold the dead and bruised body of her beloved Son and embrace him for one last time before the entombment, and she had to do it in a hurry as Sabbath was approaching. There was not one place in his body that was not wounded, bruised, cut open!
Mary teaches us how to ‘embrace’ our losses and the losses of others with strength, loyalty and love. She is the Pietà who gathers the ravaged body of her executed Son in her embrace and thereby becomes a metaphor for any one of us, man or woman, when we open the arms of our love to receive suffering and death into our lives. By that generous gesture we become living Pietàs who embody Mary’s compassionate love.
The Seventh Sorrow: Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb: “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there” (Jn. 19: 41-42). Mary’s heart is filled with gratitude at the kindness of Joseph of Arimathea for offering the tomb in his garden for the burial of Jesus who had none of his own, and also for the kindness of the disciple who brought hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes. She remembered the day Jesus was born - the kindness of the innkeeper had ensured her and Joseph a stable to give birth to Jesus, and the poor shepherds were the first visitors to recognize the Messiah. Why was her Son destined to be born and to die in such poverty and destitution? What was the Kingdom of God he proclaimed and the treasures of eternal life he always spoke about? She felt the final piercing pain of the ‘sword’ Simeon had prophesied long ago as the body of her beloved Son was laid in the tomb and her heart was filled with grief, emptiness and loneliness. Yet she trusts in the divine love to whom she had said her ‘yes’ and moves on in hope believing that the Truth will manifest itself.
‘Tomb’ signifies finality, an end, a permanent goodbye, an irreparable loss - and there definitely are such situations in our life when we have to let go of what has given our life meaning and value. Therefore ‘tombs’ are not always about physical deaths but also about changing situations. Mary Our Blessed Mother teaches us to have faith in something and Someone beyond the finality of the ‘tomb’. Our God will always strengthen us during the time of loss and our faith will give us the reason to have hope though it will not keep us from the painful process of grieving. Nevertheless, faith helps us to let go and move forward with confidence rather than look back with desolation. Mary shows us the way.
[This reflection is based on the book Your Sorrow Is My Sorrow: Hope and Strength in Times of Suffering by Joyce Rupp (Bandra: St. Paul’s, 2003)].

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

THE SPIRIT PRODUCES FRUIT IN OUR LIVES

While reading a book Breath of God: Living a Life Led by the Holy Spirit by Dave Pivonka, T.O.R. (Mumbai, St. Paul’s, 2016) I was very much taken up by the story he narrates about himself in Chapter 4 “The Spirit Produces Fruit in our Lives”. He was visiting Austria where the driving rules are very strict. One day when he was driving through a lovely manicured village he came upon a group of school children and a police officer standing on the side of the road. Behind the police officer was a display screen that stated he was driving thirty-seven kilometers per hour; the limit was thirty-five, so he wasn’t worried. To his surprise the police officer motioned to him to pull over and he immediately began worrying. Being pulled over by the police is a nerve-wracking experience in any setting, but in a foreign country it is even worse. He was concerned about how he was going to communicate to the officer given his German wasn’t great. Thank the Lord there was another priest with him who spoke German pretty well and would be able to help him. The officer approached his car with two small school children dressed in traditional matching outfits. In the hands of one of the small girls was a large lemon. As the officer approached, he rolled down his window and greeted him with the best German he knew: “Grüß Gott” (“God greet you”). The officer proceeded to receive the lemon from the little girl and handed it to him. He then began speaking to him in German. Apparently, the two words he spoke were so flawless that the officer mistook him for a native. At any rate, he interrupted and explained to the officer that he had exhausted his German with the greeting and that he did not understand anything he was saying. The priest with him explained that he did not speak German. The officer hesitated and then chuckled recognizing the humour of the situation. He then went on to explain that the village was trying to raise drivers’ awareness about their driving speed. Everyone driving through the village that morning was stopped by the police. If they were driving under the speed limit, they would receive a beautiful, sweet orange from the children. If they were over the limit, even by two measly kilometers per hour, the driver would be stuck with a lemon. So he received a sour lemon and it left a lasting impression on him: “I will be known by my fruit”. The moral of this experience is that our lives are constantly producing fruit for which we will be known whether we are aware of it or not.
Referring to false prophets Our Lord has warned us that grapes are not gathered from thornbushes, nor figs from thistles. So also a healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit just as a diseased tree cannot bear good fruit. We will be recognized by our fruits (cf. Mt. 7: 15-18). Again Our Lord has made it very clear to us that we cannot bear good fruit unless we abide in Him: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15: 4-5). This is our mystical union with the Holy Trinity.
Being aware of the tension within us between good and evil – which even the great Apostle St. Paul experienced (cf. Rom. 7: 13-25) - we need to pray constantly to the Holy Spirit for the grace of being totally healed of our diseases and becoming personalities that produce only good fruit, fruit that helps to build the Church and human society; and this begins from the family – otherwise the ‘bad fruit’ will continue for untold generations.
Fr. Dave Pivonka applies the ‘fruit’ metaphor to the family as he shares another personal experience: “I recall my parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary attended by my four brothers, my sister, their fifteen grandsons, four grand-daughters, one great-grand-daughter (hard to get a girl in my family), and countless others whose lives have been impacted by my mom and dad. I preached about the fruit produced from their “I do” fifty years earlier. My parents’ yes to the Lord and each other has produced beautiful fruit that is concrete and can be seen” (p. 63).
These days we talk much about the ‘gifts of the Holy Spirit’, especially in the context of the Charismatic Movement, but very little about the ‘fruits of the Holy Spirit’; but without the fruits the gifts are “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1Cor. 13: 1). Our lives are producing fruit every day and we need to take time out to reflect and think about the type of fruit we are producing because our spiritual and psychological well-being is related to the type of fruit our lives bring forth. The question we need to ask is: is the fruit we are producing ripe or spoiled, sweet orange or a sour lemon?
St. Paul in his letters has spoken at length about the fruit of Christian life springing from our baptism which is the mystery of our dying and rising with the Lord. He says: “Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Eph. 5: 8-11).
Still more powerful is the imagery he presents in his letter to the Galatians contrasting the “desires of the flesh” with the “desires of the Spirit” (cf. Gal. 5: 16-25), in other words the fruit of the flesh versus the fruit of the Spirit. We have to remember that the fruit our life produces impacts our surroundings and the people we live with and deal with, beginning with our family. We are known by our fruit. It is also the measure for our spiritual growth. One of the ways we can determine if we are growing in our spiritual life is by the fruit. We have to ask ourselves all the time: what kind of fruit my life is producing – more of the flesh or more of the Spirit? St. Paul expresses it very clearly and without mincing words that the ‘desires of the flesh’ are destructive, disordered and ultimately lead us away from ourselves, from God and from one another. They are in conflict with the ‘desires of the Spirit’ which causes ‘tension’ within us, but the ability to recognize this conflict and the tension is God’s grace. The recognition itself that there is this battle between the flesh and the Spirit within us is transformative and supportive of our growth in holiness of life.
If we are living by the desires of the flesh, then the fruits are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, envy, drinking bouts, orgies and the like. The ‘flesh’ leads us to seek more and more of pleasure with a blatant disregard for the needs of others. We become selfish, thinking mostly of ourselves, our wants and our desires. Our life is marked with impatience – with self, family, colleagues, traffic etc. We become prone to anger and bursts of yelling. ‘Flesh’ makes it hard for us to get along with people other than those who think and behave like us. We are never happy with what we have and always make comparisons. St. Paul warns that those who live according to the flesh “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21). So living according to the flesh is not a matter of a few bad habits but a consistent behaviour that closes the doors of heaven on us. It is important therefore that we make the right kind of choices in our life and allow others also to tell us what they see in us and to point out our ‘blind spot’. Of the greatest importance is prayer and regular contact with the Bible especially in a group like the SCC where we share with one another how the Word of God has touched us.
If we have the Spirit in us we will also produce the fruits of the Spirit and these are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These fruits are a sign that our life is transformed in the Holy Spirit and protected by God. Joy is a concrete sign that the Spirit of God is working in our life. In our fast and stressful world of today patience is of a great premium and the one who manifests it is such a beautiful witness to the presence of the Spirit in him/her! That person will also be calm and peaceful in most trying situations. A Chinese proverb says: “One moment of patience may ward off great disaster; one moment of impatience may ruin a whole life”. Self-control is the tremendous power of the Holy Spirit in us and integral to living a fruitful life. Lack of it is the source of both our stupid and sinful actions in life, if we examine our past. And the greatest fruit of course is LOVE which comes from my relationship with God. The more I experience what it means to be loved by God, the more I am able to love in the sacrificial way of love Jesus has taught us. Our spiritual life is a journey that leads us into a more profound experience of the love of God which purifies and transforms us. When love becomes our natural way of dealing with people we know we have become so consumed by the Spirit of God that love is our default!
There is no doubt that it is impossible to produce the fruits of the Spirit by our own power i.e., of the ‘flesh’, but by the power of the Spirit everything is possible. Our life will produce great fruit and people will notice this fruit.
It is important to remember that there is a two-fold blessing to the fruits of the Spirit – the blessing we receive as well as the blessing the fruit provides to others. When our life is producing fruits of the Spirit, we are more peaceful, calm, joyful, patient, and loving. All of this blesses us and those around us, making our lives more abundant.
A question for reflection: How would my life be different if I had more patience or any particular fruit of the Spirit?
Let me take some time out to pray asking God what fruit He would want to develop in me.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

THE CROSS OF JESUS: SIGN OF HOPE

On the evening of April 17, 2020 during the Easter Octave, after a brief spring shower, probably all of Delhi watched with joy coupled with amazement the beautiful rainbow over the dark clouds. I said to myself “here’s a sign from God that his love and mercy will never forsake us” despite the rising Covid-19 cases. Just at that moment a thought flashed in my mind: “we don’t need to look for rainbows in the sky; the greatest sign of God’s love for us is the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and it is not only a sign but the very instrument of redemption and life, of our salvation”. The Cross proclaims to us the greatest mystery ever proclaimed to the world: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (Jn. 3: 16-17). Could there be a more powerful sign of hope for a humanity that is perishing at this moment than the Cross? Are we ready to look at the Cross and cry to the Lord: “Save us, Lord; we are perishing’ (Mt. 8: 25) or “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn. 6:66)? And he will certainly answer us: “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” (Mt. 8:26) and “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt. 14: 31).
Though the media are blaring that the rate of infections is climbing and there is a ‘peak’ to come in November we put our TRUST in our merciful Lord to reverse the gloomy situation and prove the prognosis wrong. Faith, even as small as a mustard seed, can move mountains (cf. Mt. 17:20-21).
Pope Francis in the ‘Extraordinary Moment of Prayer’ presided over by him at a totally empty St. Peter’s Square in the evening of March 27, 2020 reflected on the passage in Mark 4: 35-41 where ‘Jesus Calms the Storm’. He compares the present Covid-19 global crisis to a severe ‘storm’ that is rocking our boat and we are panicking, which is a normal human reaction. But the Lord ‘sleeping’ soundly in the boat (only instance of Jesus sleeping) sends the message of complete and unconditional trust in the Father who cares for us. The disciples filled with fear wake up the Lord saying: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” The Lord wakes up and rebukes the wind and says to the sea: “Peace! Be still!” and the wind ceases and a great calm descends on the sea. The disciples indeed realize that when the Lord of heaven and earth is with us we need not be afraid. All that is needed is that humble and trusting faith in Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
The Pope underlines the Risen Lord’s invitation to us, in the midst of this tempest, to reawaken our faith in His presence with us. This is our ‘Easter faith’ which we begin to profess from the day of our baptism. The Lord is reawakening and reviving this faith which is God’s greatest gift to us in the Holy Spirit. This gift is always linked to the other two great gifts of ‘love’ and ‘hope’; so our Easter faith is leading us to be creators of that solidarity and hope in our society which are “capable of giving strength, support and meaning to these hours when everything seems to be floundering”. The Pope is assuring us that, in our ‘life’s boat’, we have an ‘anchor’ that has saved us, a ‘rudder’ that has redeemed us and a ’hope’ that has healed and embraced us so that nothing and no one can separate us from His redeeming love; and this anchor, rudder and hope is the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. When we embrace the Cross we embrace hope. This is the strength of our faith which frees us from all fear because we have embraced the Lord.
Coming back to the theme of the ‘rainbow’ the Book of Genesis narrates the terrible story of the Flood that destroyed the earth because of human sin. The increasing corruption on earth by human beings led God to regret that he had ever created them, but Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord (cf. Gen. 6: 5-8). Were the ‘animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens’ which had committed no sin also responsible for the ‘corruption’ on the earth? Certainly they were not and yet they became victims of the flood because ‘human sin’ had sucked them into its vortex. The Bible is absolutely right when it links the destruction of nature to human sin. Man, the ‘crown of creation’, in his greed and selfishness, also becomes the destroyer of God’s creation as the current ecological crisis of the world so blatantly testifies. Pope Francis talks about it in his 2015 Encyclical Laudato Si: On Care of Our Common Home.
It is important to note that, in the midst of the total corruption on the earth, there was a Noah who was “a righteous man, blameless in his generation” and who “walked with God” (Gen. 6: 9). Pope Francis says: “through Noah, who remained innocent and just, God decided to open a path of salvation. In this way God gave humanity the chance of a new beginning. All it takes is one good person to restore hope!” (Laudato Si 71).
When Noah came out of the ark, he built an altar to the Lord God and offered a sacrifice on it, the aroma of which pleased God and he said: “I will never again curse the ground because of man” (Gen. 8: 21). This pleasing sacrifice represents Noah’s life of truth and righteousness before God as St. Paul would say later: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, as fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:1-2). At the end of the chastisement by flood God makes a solemn covenant with Noah. It was a covenant not only with Noah and his offspring but with every living creature that came out of the ark. God promises “that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth” (Gen. 9: 11). And the sign of the covenant is the rainbow (cf. Gen. 9: 12-16).
The rainbow was the sign of God’s promise of hope to Noah for the birth of a new humanity and a new creation. This hope was firmly grounded on one condition: living a life pleasing to God according to the law of truth and righteousness ingrained in the heart. Therefore hope is not just a matter of wishing and dreaming but is unconditionally bound up with repentance, conversion of heart and new life founded on righteousness and truth. Noah is the epitome of this attitude before God – of humble submission to God’s will and prayerful surrender into His hands, not knowing exactly how the future will unfold. This spiritual legacy of Noah did not last very long. Sinful human nature very soon asserted itself and so we have the story of the destruction of the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. Gen. 18-19) because of their grave sin and the absence of even ten righteous persons. Non-repentance eliminates hope. On the other hand, when there is acknowledgement of sinfulness and repentance for the wrong done and a firm resolve to be transformed by God’s grace, hope emerges automatically as depicted in the story of Nineveh in the Book of Jonah. At the preaching of Jonah the king ordered that, beginning with himself and the nobles, all the citizens including their beasts, herds and flocks will participate in a common act of fasting, abstinence and penance by covering themselves in sackcloth and ashes, pleading for God’s mercy. The call was: “Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish” (Jonah 3: 8-9). And when God saw that they had turned from their evil ways indeed his anger relented and he did not do the disaster he had said he would do to them.
Our Lord has said: “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Lk. 13: 1-5). In order that we may not perish but have eternal life Our Lord began his ministry by calling for repentance: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 4: 17). And this pertains to all aspects of our life – political, religious, economic and social as the story of Nineveh so powerfully demonstrates. All the covenants which God made beginning with Abraham, our father in faith, were promises of hope for the future finally culminating in the ‘new covenant’ sealed in the most precious blood of Christ and engraved on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We commemorate this mystery at every Eucharist when we remember the words of Our Lord: “… the blood of the New and Eternal Covenant which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins”. In Christ alone is our sure and only hope.
The ‘new heart’ leading to new thoughts, desires, decisions and actions is the cry of the Covid-19 crisis. Our ‘battle’ against this pandemic cannot stop at the ‘physical’ level but it has to enter into the ‘spiritual’ realm as a battle against the Evil One, the enemy of our souls, the “liar and the father of lies” (Jn. 8: 44) who is deluding humanity to choose the path of perdition. As St. Paul says: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6: 12) and St. Peter warns: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5: 8). This global crisis is calling for a global conversion of heart and Pope Francis in his profound reflection is pointing to that.
Love-filled people spread love, joy-filled people spread joy, hope-filled people spread hope, in short, grace-filled people make God’s grace a reality in our world. The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us this truth. This has been amply demonstrated throughout the lockdown period and it is bound to grow.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

BE COMPASSIONATE

Compassion is the essence of what it means to be truly human and it flows from love. Our Lord Jesus Christ first teaches us about the true meaning of love which embraces one’s enemies before culminating his discourse with the exhortation: “Be compassionate (or merciful) as your Father is compassionate” (Lk.6:36). True love and compassion as taught by Jesus in reality transcend the boundaries of our ordinary run of life or mode of behaviour. Ordinarily we tend to love only those who love us in return or who are good to us. It is difficult to love those who don’t return our love or who hurt us or whom we dislike. Normally we harbor feelings of resentment, anger, hatred and revenge towards such people and keep them away from our circle and would want ourselves to stay away from them. The Gospel, however, reverses this attitude and tells us starkly that the path to eternal life is: “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil” (Lk. 6:35). This is the ‘miracle’ the Holy Spirit works in us as testified by the Acts of the Apostles in the description of the Pentecost. The ‘normal’ human nature was ‘transformed’ into a new way of life marked by the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul would then never tire of talking about it in all his letters.
The unprecedented ‘lockdown’ necessitated by the deadly Covid-19 global pandemic has been an occasion for hundreds of compassionate people in Delhi and all over our country to organize distribution of food and dry rations to people who lost their livelihoods in an instant. And we know the terribly pathetic stories of the thousands of migrant labourers who have been rendered jobless, moneyless and homeless and have decided to trek their way home to their native places. Every day the media are flooded with heart-rending scenes of deaths due to exhaustion, starvation, accidents and we don’t know when it will end or how the situation of these poor people will change for the better. Only compassion whereby people make their suffering one’s own will be able to effect the needed structural change to eliminate this kind of poverty and misery in our society and ensure justice and equality, so that no citizen in our country will ever be forced to undergo such kind of deprivation, indignity and dehumanization, particularly women and children, when another privileged section of our society enjoys higher level of comforts, security, privileges and opportunities.
I would like to share with you a forwarded story I received in WhatsApp in the morning of 17th May (all details not mentioned):
When a little girl, the same age as my daughter Reeham, walking barefoot for three days holding a ‘potli’ on her head, hungry and covered in sweat and dust, with chapped lips, looks you in the eye with no expression and says, “Bahut bhookh lagi hai, Uncle” – it is a whiplash on your soul.
It was 2.30 pm when I picked up my colleague and we drove via Golf Course Road to Cyber Hub, towards Jaipur on the Delhi-Gurgaon Highway, NH 48. On the way, we saw many families and individuals walking. Some had backpacks, some buckets, cloth bags and some had suitcases. It was around 40 degrees and the sun was beating down hard. We parked the car along the highway and waited to speak with the first approaching family. They had three little kids (5years to 10years, two girls and a boy). The mother, father and the elder daughter were carrying cloth bags with their entire life-possessions on their heads. They looked famished. I wanted to ask them a lot, like what do they do, where they were coming from, why they were leaving, where were they going etc. etc. But looking at their faces, I had no heart… I was also sweating in the heat by now. So I asked them, “Bhai, ghar kaise jaoge…paidal…ya koi bus, train?” The man simply looked at me and my parked car, gave a dry smile, and said, “Dekhte hain shab, kuch truck tempo milega toh chaley jayenge.” I took out a few chocolate bars I had in my pocket and offered them to the two younger kids. They looked at me and looked at their mother…They accepted only when the mother nodded in approval. I took out three 500 rupee notes and gave it to the father and said, “Bhai, yeh thodese paise rakh lo.” He broke down. He tried hard to stop his tears and said, “Sahab, aap bhagwan ho!” And he bent down and touched my feet. I was stunned. I held his shoulders and pushed him away gently. I cannot even mention how ashamed, guilty and saddened I felt at that moment. My colleague took out his glasses, turned away and did not face me till we reached the car. No prizes to guess what he was hiding. We didn’t speak for some time. I had thought giving money is easy. But I learnt a huge lesson that it is a horrible feeling – to witness a person’s dignity being snatched away…when they have to touch someone’s feet in front of their children for a few bucks. We were heartbroken. I was compelled to give them more money but I wanted to cover as many as I could, so I held on because right then, that would have been enough for them to feed themselves and their children. And of course, there is the need to protect them from the corrupt and heartless police force (most of them), who are beating them indiscriminately. So, I moved on… There was 407 Truck, packing in these labourers who were negotiating the rates. They were to be taken like potato sacks and dropped on the highway near their villages. As I reached, they looked at me suspiciously. A family was distraught and sprawled under the pillar, the wife was haggard and sat hopelessly with her back against the pillar. I reached the group. We were confused as to how should we approach them. I told my colleague that I would just go and start handing the notes. I couldn’t speak so took out the money and started handing each one a 500 rupee note. The gratitude on their faces and the tears in many eyes didn’t need anything to be spoken. People noticed and started coming to me and then there were people inside the 407 as well, so I went to the rear of the truck and distributed some more. By then, I had exhausted everything I had. Looking at the people, I went back to the car and got whatever was left in my wallet (a few 100 rupee notes). I went back and the labourers had stretched their hands out from the sides and were pleading for 100 rupees. I looked up and saw the desperate faces and quickly looked away and held my my hand up and requested them to share. The notes were snatched out of my hand and I didn’t know who took them. Some thanked loudly, and there were weak whispers of “Thank you, babuji…”, “Aap devta log ho, sahib…” We started walking away as I wouldn’t have been able to hold back my tears of shame. These people were not beggars, they were solid men who do backbreaking hard work for paltry sums of money and they don’t complain like you and me. They deserved more dignity than this. As we left the location and started for home, I discovered I had 5x500 rupee notes in one of the pockets. We were on the Golf Course Extension Road when we saw around 07-08 people walking with children and their ‘potlis’ on their heads. We stopped, got out of the car, and gave a note each to the three ladies who were struggling with the little children. The men ran back, looked at me and pleaded for some help. I gave them the last two notes and we quietly drove off. I dropped my colleague and then drove back home.
‘Compassion’ means ‘to suffer with’. It is the human response to the suffering of the other and the Gospels tell us that Jesus was moved with compassion when he saw the suffering of the poor and the oppressed. There are so many instances where it is explicitly said that Jesus was moved with compassion e.g. Mt. 9: 36, Mk. 1: 41-42, Lk. 7:13-14, Mt. 20: 32-34, Mk. 8: 2-3. His parables of the ‘Good Samaritan’ (Lk. 10: 25-37) and of the ‘Last Judgement’ (Mt. 25: 31-46) sum up the call, challenge and hope of God’s Kingdom. The death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is the victory of God’s love and compassion over human sin manifested in hatred and indifference.
Albert Nolan O.P., in his famous book Jesus Before Christianity (1976), offers thought-provoking reflections (in Chap 12 – The Coming of the ‘Kingdom’) so very relevant for our present context:
He says, if the ‘kingdom of God’ as preached by Jesus is true to life, if it is the truth about people and their needs, if it is the only thing that can bring humankind to fulfillment and satisfaction, then faith in this kind of ‘kingdom’ can change the world and achieve the impossible. The power of faith is the power of truth, and still more, true faith is not possible without compassion. The ‘kingdom’ in which Jesus wanted his contemporaries to believe was a ‘kingdom’ of love and service, a ‘kingdom’ of human brotherhood and sisterhood in which every person is loved and respected because he or she is a person. We cannot believe in and hope for such ‘kingdom’ unless we have learned to be moved with compassion for our fellow-beings. God has now revealed God as the God of compassion. God’s power is the power of compassion. People’s compassion for one another releases God’s power in the world and this is the only power that can bring about the miracle of the ‘kingdom’.
Therefore, what makes the ‘kingdom’ come? It is heartfelt compassion and hopeful faith. Today’s faith, hope, and love (compassion) are the seeds of tomorrow’s ‘kingdom’. Faith seems to be as small and insignificant as a tiny mustard seed (Mt. 17:20) but without the seed of faith there would be no great mustard tree (Mk. 4:30-32). Yeast seems to be so powerless and yet it can make the whole batch of dough rise (Mt. 13:33). A faith uncompromised by worldly values and concerns will most certainly produce a rich harvest (Mk. 3:3-9). The ‘kingdom’ will be a miracle like the miracles of nature (compare Mk. 4: 30-32 and Mt. 17: 20).

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

CHRIST, MY HOPE IS RISEN!

In his Urbi et Orbi Easter message on April 12, in the midst of the raging COVID-19 global pandemic which is severely testing the whole of humanity, Pope Francis has spoken precisely of what Easter means to humankind: “Christ, my hope is risen”! The Church’s proclamation of faith springs up like a new flame in the night and echoes throughout the world: ‘Jesus Christ is risen; He is truly risen. Alleluia!’. What does this mean? It means that heaven is opened for us in Christ; we have hope.
The Pope warns us that the Resurrection of Christ is not a magic formula to make all problems vanish. Instead it is “victory of love over the root of evil, a victory that does not ‘by-pass’ suffering and death, but passes THROUGH THEM, opening a path in the abyss, transforming evil into good: this is the unique hallmark of the power of God”. It can never be forgotten that the Risen Lord is the Crucified One who bears in his body the indelible wounds which are “windows of hope”. Therefore the Pope calls on humanity to gaze on the Crucified and Risen Lord so that he may “heal the wounds of our afflicted humanity”. This Good News of hope the Church transmits to the whole world as a message that goes from heart to heart and becomes a “contagion of hope”, in the midst of the contagion of hopelessness and despair spread by the COVID-19 disease.
There are four words that are particularly underlined in the message: indifference, self-centredness, division and forgetfulness. These are not the words we want to hear at this time; in fact “we want to ban these words forever”. They prevail when fear and death overwhelm us and “when we do not let the Lord Jesus triumph in our hearts and lives”; but Christ, who has defeated death and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, dispels the darkness of our suffering and leads us to the light of his glorious day that knows no end.
The Pope offers a profound reflection on each of those four words in the light of the Resurrection:
1. This is not a time for indifference. Why? Because the whole world is suffering and we all need to be united in facing the pandemic. Our special focus should be on the poor, those living on the peripheries, the refugees, the migrant labourers, the homeless. We should never abandon these, our most vulnerable brothers and sisters living in the cities and peripheries of every part of the world. The Pope calls on the rich nations to relax the international sanctions on the poorer countries and even write off their debts completely in the present circumstances so that they are able to provide adequate support to their citizens and ensure the basic necessities to them.
2. This is not a time for self-centredness. Why? Because the challenge we are facing is shared by all; it does not make distinction between persons. What the Pope calls for is solidarity, i.e., the overcoming of rivalries among nations and the regaining of the sense of being one family, as it happened in Europe after World War II. The opposite is selfishness, which is the temptation to “return to the past at the risk of severely damaging the peaceful coexistence and development of future generations”.
3. This is not a time for division. Why? Because the vast amounts of money that are spent on the sale and purchase of weapons should actually be used for the welfare of the people and to save lives. Therefore the Pope is appealing for “an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world”, praying that the Risen Lord, who is our peace, may enlighten all who have responsibility in conflicts to come to this decision courageously.
He is appealing for the end of the war in Syria which has caused such great bloodshed; the cessation of the conflict in Yemen and the hostilities in Iraq and Lebanon; the resumption of dialogue between Israel and Palestine to find a stable solution for a lasting peace; the end of the sufferings of the people who live in the eastern regions of Ukraine and an end to the terrorist attacks carried out against innocent people in different African countries.
4. This is not a time for forgetfulness. Why? Because the COVID-19 crisis should not make us forget the many other humanitarian crises affecting the peoples of Asia and Africa, causing much suffering. There are thousands of refugees and migrants displaced due to wars, drought and famine and so many among them are children who are living in unbearable conditions.
In the light of these reflections on indifference, self-centredness, division and forgetfulness offered by Pope Francis to the whole of humanity what does Easter mean to us individually? The Risen Lord’s first words of greeting to his frightened disciples are, “Peace be with you” (Jn. 20: 19), and the next words are, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn. 20:22). Do these two words, ‘Peace’ and ‘Holy Spirit’ have anything to tell us of the mystery of the “newness of life” (Rom. 6: 4) in Christ which is ours through Baptism and of which we are called to be witnesses?
Here I would like to refer to a beautiful reflection by Joyce Rupp in her book Open the Door: A Journey to the True Self (ATC Publications, Bangalore, 2008, pp. 160-162):
“I am convinced that peace among nations will not happen until there is true peace within the hearts of individuals. Within my own life a stronger peace has gradually taken root, mostly due to my commitment to daily, personal meditation. When I open the door of my heart and spend time with the Holy One, I become aware of what thwarts my effort to be peaceful… Becoming aware of my inner conflicts sometimes occasions a brutal recognition and uncompromising verdict of needing to change my ways. Learning about peace is one thing. Putting peace into practice by changing attitudes and actions is quite another. If unrest, nonforgiveness, dissension, apathy, or discontent reside in me, the scent of this will be on each breath I take. Discordance will contaminate each part of my life”.
Her suggestions for peace to abide in our hearts and in our world:
Place merciful peace on our lips when words of prejudice, gossip, shame, and blame are eager to be there.
Draw forth humility from our heart when our ego seeks to triumph over and trounce the victims of our self-righteous superiority.
Voice open, non-defensive dialogue when the loud anger and unfair accusations of others attempt to topple us with their ferocity.
Work nonviolently for the active pursuit of peace when others opt for waging the aggression of war.
Set to rest what screams for revenge. Bid farewell to what drains away kindness. Ease out old grudges, remnants of resentment, and any remainders of jealousy.
Sift through the rubble of former battles with anyone. Sort out and discard the decomposed rot. Find what is salvageable. Save what benefits a growthful love.
Resist attempts to mend what is beyond repair. Let go of what was but can be no more. Move on without reluctance or self-doubt.
Free what trembles with fear. Embrace what longs for acceptance. Forego anxiety and worry, which steal peace from the soul and add to inner turbulence.
Resist the desire to grasp. Have only what is essential for life.

So, today bring peace with you to every creature, to solitary corners and crowded streets, to each hostility and every anxiety. Most of all, embrace confidently the bountiful peace of Indwelling Love so your presence in the world becomes one of healing love. According to her a peace-bringer is also a hope-bringer. Each opening of the door to our heart provides an opportunity to strengthen our hope. Each inward journey restores our belief in our inherent goodness and not to give up on the possibility of our innate love to outgrow ego-centricity and overt disregard for others. Therefore hope does not cause us to run away from what we experience or to deny it, rather it gives us a reason to embrace what we experience and go forward with assurance. It does not mean that everything will turn out the way we want but it will lead us to the celebration of life and to replace fear and hopelessness with fearlessness and joy. That is why we sing “Alleluia’ at Easter.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

THEIR EYES WERE OPENED

The encounter of the two disciples with the Risen Lord on their way to Emmaus as narrated in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 24: 13-36) is a template of the discipleship journey in the Christian way of life. The Risen Lord accosts us exactly as we trudge along on the road of depression, gloom, pain and dejection to bring hope and meaning into our lives. He opens to us the Scriptures explaining the mystery of his suffering, death and resurrection by which we are saved and which becomes the mystery of our own lives through our communion with him in Baptism and the Sacraments. It is significant that he is recognized by the two disciples in the ‘breaking of the bread’, but just at that moment he vanishes from their sight. Nevertheless they don’t experience his absence, on the contrary his powerful PRESENCE. Does this strike a chord in our hearts – of the Eucharist where we always experience the living presence of the Risen Lord who is our ‘bread of life’? He first opens the Scriptures to us and leads us from the Scriptures to the ‘breaking of the bread’. The Scriptures and the Eucharist are inseparable. The Apostolic Tradition of the Church has always maintained this unity. The table of the Word leads to the table of the Sacrament.
“And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him” (Lk 24:31) are the words which encapsulate the encounter of these two crestfallen disciples with the Risen Lord. Jesus came into this world to lead us from darkness to light, from blindness to sight, from death to life – so striking are these themes in the Gospel of John! The Scriptures and the Eucharist – do they open our eyes or we remain the same? As we listen to the Lord he gives us the gift of the inner sight and we begin to see the truth of the Gospel. We may choose to keep our eyes closed and remain in our blindness, but he will not cease to invite us to listen to him. If we still stubbornly persist in our blindness, we are the cause of our own perdition.
Until the Risen Lord met them on the road the two disciples were still blinded by their earlier defeatist arguments stemming from a sense of failure that gave rise to fear, discouragement, demoralization and even cynicism. They were slaves to an older mindset until they encountered the Lord himself who revealed his identity in the ‘breaking of the bread’ and vanished from their sight but not before giving them the gift of enlightenment and new perspective. The disappearance of the Lord from their sight did not cause any shock or fright to them, on the contrary they realized their hearts were burning within them “while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures”
(Lk 24: 32). The encounter with the Risen Lord enkindles the divine fire of love in their hearts and the ‘breaking of the bread’ sends them out with immense joy and courage to proclaim to the eleven and to the world: “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” (Lk 24: 34). This is an exclamation of joyful faith that breaks inner barriers, exudes love, proclaims hope, reveals new life of grace and freedom in the Holy Spirit. Nobody can ever say, “The Lord is risen indeed” and remain the same ‘old person’. The Risen Lord makes us ‘new persons’. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come” (2Cor. 5: 17). The Gospel of Our Lord is the ‘new wine’ and the ‘new patch’ which requires ‘new wineskins’ and ‘new cloth’. The question we need to ask ourselves always is: Am I still the ‘old wineskin’ or the ‘old garment’ (cf. Mt 9: 16-17) in the way I live my life in its attitudes and behaviour patterns? If so the Gospel will not make any impact on me; the Scriptures and the ‘breaking of the bread’ will be just routine acts without meaning; I will not ‘recognize the Lord’; I will continue in my blindness. But the Lord will keep knocking on my door until I open…
Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the Risen Lord is proverbial. From mistaking him to be the gardener to recognizing him as her ‘Rabboni’, this valiantly faithful disciple of Christ moves from disbelief to faith; she wants to cling to him in joy but instead the Lord sends her out on a mission to proclaim the Good News of the Resurrection to the other disciples, which she does with such exultation, “I have seen the Lord” (Jn. 20:18). She is no more bound to the past; she is a new person now.
That same evening the Risen Lord appears to the frightened disciples huddled in a room for fear of being arrested. When they saw the Lord “the disciples were glad” (Jn. 20:20). He gives them the gift of peace, breathes into them the Holy Spirit and emboldens them to embark on his mission to proclaim to the whole world repentance and forgiveness of sins, i.e., salvation in his name. From that moment on they are people with a new vision, fearless and full of zeal to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom in Christ and no more arguing about “who is the greatest” (cf. Mk 9:33-37). Their eyes were opened. Henceforth they would exclaim, “We have seen the Lord”.
Eight days later, appearing to the disciples again and particularly to Thomas who had doubted, the Lord draws from him this confession of faith, “My Lord and my God” (Jn 20: 28). He is no longer a doubter but a believer who is ready to lay down his life for Christ.
We know the story of the conversion of Saul from a persecutor of the Christians to a passionate follower of Christ and God’s chosen instrument to proclaim the Good News of salvation to the gentiles and to suffer for Christ. From his earlier ‘blindness’ he regained his sight when “something like scales fell from his eyes” (Acts 9: 18) and he was baptized. It was not only physical sight that he regained after his encounter with the Risen Lord but, above all, the inner spiritual sight whereby he understood the truth of the Gospel and could never ever separate himself from it as he testifies: “But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me” (2 Tim. 1: 12). Having regained his sight, the Risen Lord sends him to the gentiles “to open their eyes , so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18). Sanctified in the truth the Church has the mission to proclaim the truth until the Lord comes again in his power and glory.
The appearance of the Risen Lord to Peter and the other disciples by the Sea of Tiberias (cf. Jn 21) is also very significant. The Lord does not rake up at all the issue of Peter’s denial, instead he only asks for a three-time affirmation of love and entrusts to Peter the mission of shepherding the flock in his name to the point of shedding his blood for the Gospel.
At the Ascension of Jesus and his final parting from their sight the disciples are not sad but they “returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Lk 24:52) because of the Lord’s promise to us: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). This is the basis of our Christian identity and mission.
After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost the nascent Church becomes the witness of God’s Kingdom in this world. How? By devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the ‘breaking of the bread’, to prayers, and to holding everything in common – and there “was not a needy person among them” (Acts 4:34). We are told: “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all “(Acts 4: 33). In the face of bitter persecution it was the Spirit of the Risen Lord who enabled the Church to boldly state: “for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4: 20) and “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). We need to come back to these origins of ours in order to be authentic Christians in the context of today.
The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of our Christian faith and the raison d’être of our discipleship. “The Christian faith stands or falls with the truth of the testimony that Christ is risen from the dead”, says Pope Benedict XVI in his magnum opus Jesus of Nazareth. Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection (California: Ignatius Press & Bangalore: ATC), p. 241. It is not a fact to be scientifically proved but a faith experience that defies science. The word of God testifies to the experiences of the Risen Lord that became the turning point in the life of the disciples and enemies like Saul and laid the foundation for the birth and growth of the Church. The Saints and Martyrs of the Church drew their courage from the Spirit of the Risen Lord and his promise of eternal life and it continues into our day.
Christus Vivit (Christ is Alive)! Is what Pope Francis tells the youth today: “Alive, he can be present in your life at every moment, to fill it with light and to take away all sorrow and solitude… He fills your life with his unseen presence; wherever you go, he will be waiting there for you. Because he did not only come in the past, but he comes to you today and every day, inviting you to set out towards ever new horizons” (Christus Vivit, No. 125).

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

The season of Lent is always a reminder to us that God’s gift of salvation in Christ comes with the call to ‘repentance’, and repentance denotes the radical transformation of our life in the power of the Holy Spirit. Hence a sincere examination of our conscience without excuses and without alibis is what Lent stands for in our relationship with the Lord in faith and love. This annual liturgical moment in our life’s journey is likened to the Lord’s forty days and forty nights in the desert spent in prayer and fasting and during which he has clearly shown us the key to the victory over the Evil One. All our Lenten practices of fasting, abstinence and almsgiving are based on prayer which is foundational to our Christian life. They are not external ‘works’ alone but ‘works’ that flow from a heart that is attuned to God in humble submission to his will. Prayer as Christ has taught us opens to us the doors to our true self,unlocking inner spiritual resources we are usually unaware of due to our brokenness and enabling us to live an authentic life of grace centered on eternal life and the treasures of God’s Kingdom. We realise the transient nature of everything we are attached to here on earth and how only one thing is important, the better part that nobody can take away from us, the pearl of great price which surpasses everything our small self holds dear, the treasure that does not rust or can be robbed, the Kingdom of Heaven of which we are called to be inheritors.
Pope Francis has been continuously reminding us of the evangelical Beatitudes as the sure and essential path to eternal life. At his weekly Wednesday audience on February 19, 2020 he gave a marvellous catechetical reflection on the third Beatitude “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Mt. 5:5). The virtue of ‘meekness’ is often misunderstood as ‘weakness’ in today’s world but in reality it is the greatest strength as Christ has shown us in his Passion and Death and on which Mahatma Gandhijibased his spiritual philosophy of ahimsa. The season of Lent with the clarion call to ‘renewing and purifying of our hearts’ and ‘humbling our sinful pride’places Christ’s call to ‘meekness’ before us as the essential mark of our discipleship.
Explaining the term the Pope says it literally means sweet, mild, gentle, without violence. Violence manifests itself in moments of conflict, as can be seen from how one reacts to a hostile situation. Anyone may seem meek, when things are quiet, but how does one react ‘under pressure’, when attacked, offended, assaulted? That is the real test of our meekness and of our rootedness in Christ. The meekness of Jesus is seen in his Passion when he went to his death like a ‘lamb carried for the slaughter’. He did not utter a word in anger but endured all the torments in complete surrender to his Father’s will. St. Peter recalls the attitude of Jesus in his passion: He neither responded nor threatened, but “continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly (1Pet. 2:23). And St. Paul in one passage says: “the meekness and gentleness of Christ” (2Cor. 10:1).
The other statement “they shall inherit the earth” is also very significant. The Pope points out that the word ‘meek’ indicates those who have no earthly property, therefore “they shall inherit the earth”. To be meek is to be a detached person for whom trusting in God is of a greater value than the fulfilment of all one’s desires on earth and the satisfaction that flows from there, which, as Christ has taught us, is not lasting. Therefore he has placed before us the challenge of self-denial and the total emptying of the self in surrender to God’s will. The third Beatitude in reality cites Psalm 37 which is a hymn of trust in God hailing ‘meekness’ as the identifying mark of the righteous person; the righteous person is also the meek one, the blameless one, the person of peace who refrains from anger, forsakes wrath and waits for the Lord patiently. Such a person will “inherit the land”. In this Psalm, meekness and earthly possessiveness are placed in relationship with one another. In our earthly context these two things are incompatible. Indeed possession of land is the typical context for conflict: people fight over a territory, to protect their hegemony over a certain zone etc. There are wars among nations over ‘territory’; and in history stronger nations conquered weaker ones and made it their ‘land’.
However, Pope Francis invites us to reflect closely on the verb used to indicate the possession of the meek: they will not ‘conquer’ the earth but they will ‘inherit’ it. In the Bible the Chosen People refer to the Promised Land as their ‘inheritance’. This land is a promise and a gift to the People of God but it does not end there. Our Lord Jesus Christ has revealed to us that it is only a sign of something much larger than a mere territory. It points to ‘Heaven’, which is the true ‘land’ towards which we walk: the new heavens and the new lands towards which we go (cf. Is. 65:17; 66:2; 2Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1).
Therefore, in the words of Pope Francis, the meek is the one who inherits the most sublime of territories. Such a person is certainly not a coward, not a ‘slugger’ who finds a fall-back morality to stay out of trouble. No, the meek is a person who has received an inheritance and does not want to waste it. The meek is not an accommodating person, but a disciple of Christ who has learnt to defend a quite different land. The meek is the one who defends one’s peace, one’s relationship with God, one’s gifts which are God’s gifts to him/her, that is mercy, fraternity, trust and hope. A meek person is the one who guards these gifts with utmost care. The meek are people who are merciful, fraternal, trusting and hopeful.
In the context of his reflection on the third Beatitude, the Pope goes on to talk about the “sin of anger, a violent reaction whose impulse we all know”. Let me quote his exact words: “Who has not been angry sometimes? We all have. We must overturn the Beatitude and ask ourselves one question: how many things have we destroyed with rage? How many things have we lost? A moment of anger can destroy many things; one loses control and does not evaluate what is really important, and one can ruin the relationship with a brother (or sister) sometimes without remedy. As a result of anger, many brothers (and sisters) no longer speak to each other, they distance themselves from each other. It is the opposite of meekness. Meekness brings together, anger separates.” Do these words have a ring of truth in them? If so Lent is the time to come back to the Lord in repentance praying for the gift of a new heart, new vision, new spirit, new life. The Lord says: “Yet even now, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments” (Joel 2:12-13). And how many times St. Paul confronts the Church with this evangelical challenge in all his letters, because there is no other distinguishing mark of Christian discipleship than humility, patience, gentleness, forgiveness and love which make for peace andunity in all situations.
There is no doubt that meekness is the weapon that will defeat sin in all its ramifications and the source of sin i.e., the Evil One who never ceases to tempt humanity with delusion. The Pope concludes: “Meekness is the conquest of many things. Meekness is capable of winning the heart, saving friendships and much more, because people anger but then they calm down, think about it and go back over the footsteps, and so you can rebuild with meekness. The ‘land’ to be conquered with meekness is the salvation of the brother (or sister) of whom the Gospel of Mathew speaks (cf. Mat. 18:5). There is no land more beautiful than the heart of others, there is no land more beautiful to gain than the peace found with a brother (or sister). And that is the land to inherit with meekness.”
In the spirit of the Pope’s Lenten Message 2020, let us keep our eyes fixed on the outstretched arms of Christ crucified; let ourselves be saved over and over again; let us believe firmly in his mercy which frees us of our guilt; let us contemplate his blood poured out with such great love, and let ourselves be cleansed by it; in this way we can be reborn ever anew.Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother may our Lenten celebration open our hearts to hear God’s call to be reconciled to himself, to fix our gaze on the Paschal Mystery of Christ and be converted to an open and sincere dialogue with our Lord, with ourselves and with our brothers and sisters so that we can become what Christ has asked of us to be: the salt of the earth and light of the world (cf. Mt. 5:13-14).

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

BUNDLE OF LOVE

Fr Marcelino Iragui OCD was an exponent par excellence of the charismatic renewal movement in India in the 1980’s. In his little but very profound book Here Comes Jesus (Mumbai: Charismatic Renewal Services, 1987) he has a chapter “God Loves You” which begins with a story: “I had been called to pray over a sick baby. As I began praying I felt a bit confused, wondering whether I should ask Jesus to heal him or her. My problem was solved when a friend of mine laid hands over the baby and prayed: ‘Thank you, Lord, for this bundle of love’. “
It is does not matter whether it’s a girl or a boy; every person comes into this world as a ‘bundle of love’. We are brought into existence by an act of divine love, with a perfect plan and purpose, but often this gift of God is pressed down by fear, anxiety, mistrust and tensions very soon! This is then followed by anger, resentment, hate, jealousy, guilt and despair until it is difficult to identify the original contents of the bundle. This is the story of humankind from the beginning of creation. Once Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command and let go into the hands of the Evil One sin began to rule their lives and it spread to the whole human race. Cain kills Abel his brother out of hatred born of jealousy and it has not ended there … But Christ Our Lord has defeated the Evil One and the power of sin and given us the right to become the “children of God” (Jn. 1: 12; 1Jn. 3:1-3). As children of God we know that “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn. 4: 16). “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1Jn. 3:15) but to love is to pass from death to life (cf. 1 Jn. 3: 14). This is the truth Christ has opened for us because he has lived it first.
All through the Christmas season we have reflected on the mystery of God’s infinite love for humanity both individually and collectively: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God... In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1Jn. 4: 7-12). All the more on the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord we have heard the words whereby Jesus is ‘affirmed’ as the ‘beloved one’ in whom the Father is ‘well pleased’. His consciousness of his eternal divine ‘belovedness’ enabled Jesus to walk the path of self-emptying love and win for us the treasures of eternal life. Expressions such as “I and the Father are one” (Jn. 10: 30); “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (Jn. 14:11) clearly point to the infinite Trinitarian love of the Father, Son and Spirit that human sin in the form of bitter opposition to Jesus could never overcome. The sufferings and pain inflicted on him were unimaginable but God’s incarnate love was greater and it conquered sin. Hatred can never defeat love.
We are born a ‘bundle of love’ but often the environment in which we have grown up causes us ‘wounds’ and pain that do not allow us to be wholesome personalities who bring about love in this world. Wounded ourselves we wound others; unaffirmed ourselves we cannot affirm others; unloved and unaccepted ourselves we cannot love and accept others; not being forgiven we cannot forgive others. We want to dominate, control, exercise power, put down others because we think that is the way we can ‘affirm’ ourselves and boost up our poor self-esteem. We allow ourselves to be ruled by selfishness, hatred, resentment, anger, hurt feelings, jealousy that more often than not lead to breakdown in communication and rupture of relationships. These are clear signs of inner wounds that need to be healed. Here Our Lord Jesus Christ comes to our rescue to save us from this miserable situation when he tells us , ‘you are beloved of God’; ‘you are a child of God’; ‘God loves you with an infinite love; ‘ your self-image does not depend on extrinsic causes but on the love of God for you for he has created you in his own image and likeness’; because God loves you, you can accept yourself as you are and treat and accept others as they are’. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives – to console us, affirm us, comfort us, renew us and heal us. When we pray in silence to the Holy Spirit centering our hearts on God’s love that surpasses all understanding the peace of God descends on our souls in torrents and we become people who can love others selflessly without attention on ourselves and on our ‘ego’, as Christ has taught us. Our Lord invites us: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11: 28).
Fr. Marcelino Iragui narrates another incident in that chapter: “While preaching a retreat I shared this incident about the bundle of love. The next day one of the retreatants testified: “I used to be very unhappy and embarrassed with myself because of my obesity. Last night, as I was sitting in the chapel, this prayer came spontaneously from my heart: ‘Thank you, Lord, for making me a bundle of love. And look at the size of it’. And I thought I could hear Our Lord chuckling along with me. I never felt so good in all my life.”
When we look deep into every human person we see the amazing beauty of God despite all the brokenness of the human situation, because God has made us in his own image and likeness. When broken by other human beings we go into despair and bitterness; but when we are broken by the Holy Spirit we become better, are renewed and filled with new hope.
Robert J. Wicks, the author of Seeds of Sensitivity (Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 1995) begins the introduction to his book with a story:
Once upon a time there was a country ruled by a king. The country was invaded and the king was killed but his children were rescued by servants and hidden away. The smallest, an infant daughter, was reared by a peasant family. They didn’t know she was the king’s daughter. She had become the peasant’s daughter and she dug potatoes and lived in poverty.
One day an old woman came out of the forest and approached the young woman who was digging potatoes. The old woman asked her: ‘Do you know who you are?’ And the young woman said, ‘Yes, I’m the farmer’s daughter and a potato digger.‘ The old woman said, ‘No, no, you are the daughter of the king.’ And the potato digger said, ‘I’m the daughter of the king?’ ‘Yes, that’s who you are!’ And the old woman disappeared back into the forest.
After the old woman left, the young woman still dug potatoes but she dug them differently. It was the way she held her shoulders and it was the light in her eyes because she knew who she was. She knew she was the daughter of the king.
Christ came into this world precisely to tell every human person that he/she is a child of God; therefore he taught us to call God ‘Abba’ (Father) – the prayer that is so dear to everyone. This is also the mission of the Church – to affirm the dignity of every human person as created in the image and likeness of God himself, and this dignity transcends all man-made distinctions of colour, caste, class, culture, language, ethnicity, creed and gender. These distinctions are often used to de-humanize people by considering them ‘inferior’ and of a lower grade than others who are ‘superior’ and of a higher grade in society. The vision Christ has imparted to us leads us to ask this question always: ‘Do you know who you are?’ Consequently each one has to ask oneself: ‘Do I know who I am?’ Christ has clearly stated that in the eyes of God no such distinctions exist, on the contrary “the last will be first, and the first last” (Mt. 20:16). In other words those who are despised and looked down upon will be the first to enter the Kingdom of God (cf. Mt. 21:31). The Church always stands for this justice, righteousness and freedom of the Kingdom of God based on the dignity of the human person.
Ultimately the Gospel calls for genuine self-appreciation, healthy self-esteem, true self-love contained in the great commandment “You shall love the Lord with all your heart …You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Mt. 22:37). Without a healthy self-love and consciousness of our self-worth we cannot love God and our neighbour. Self-hatred leads to all kinds of unhealthy behaviour but true self-love in the recognition of one’s belovedness before God as a child of God engenders mature, loving and truly human relationships as Christ has taught us in his Gospel. We then live our essential human nature as ‘bundle of love’ that each human person is called to be.
After the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord on February 2 where the Cross looms large, the month glitters with the commemoration of so many saints and martyrs among whom are Indian SS. John de Britto (Feb 5) and Gonsalo Garcia (Feb 7). All these stalwarts of God would not have attained the eternal crown if they had not realized first and foremost that they were ‘children of God’. From that realization came their courage to witness to Christ even to the shedding of their blood. They were least bothered about their own safety and security.
Very soon, on February 16, we will enter the Season of Lent. This sacred time will afford us many opportunities to reflect on the word of God and be healed through repentance that opens the door to new life.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

BEHOLD I AM MAKING ALL THINGS NEW (Rev. 21:5)

The Catholic Charismatic Movement is rightly called ‘renewal’ movement because it does not concern only with ‘visions’, ‘prophecies’, ‘talking in tongues’ and ‘charisms’ but with a real conversion of heart and change of life as Our Lord Jesus Christ has asked for at the very beginning of his Gospel. It is the necessary condition for salvation. The Lord says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 18:2-3). Of course we experience within us the constant struggle between the law of the flesh and the law of the Spirit pulling at each other (cf. Gal. 5:16-25), but the Spirit will ultimately win if we submit ourselves to the Spirit with a childlike trust.
The longing for the “New Heaven and the New Earth” (Rev. 21:1) is the great gift of hope infused into the human soul by the Holy Spirit at Baptism. It points to the defeat of the Evil One and the final victory of the Risen Lord over all forces of sin and death. As disciples of Christ we are called to pray and work for this Day of the Lord with fidelity to his Gospel and trust in his promises. We see the One seated on the throne and who is also the One in whom we live, move and have our being assuring us “Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev. 21: 5). This ‘newness’ is the core of our Christian life founded on ‘repentance’ and ‘conversion of heart’ for which there is no ‘time-frame’ and no limit set. It is an on-going process of our daily life and its every moment. The Spirit of God always brings breath of freshness and renewal in our life but we have to also be open to the action of God in us. From individual hearts the newness flows to the human society in all its dimensions. Unless the human heart is clean the society in which we live will never be clean. We need to keep this vision before us as we begin the ‘new year’.
There is the beautiful Latin hymn on the Eucharistic Mystery composed by St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century called “Panis Angelicus” (Angelic Bread). One line in the hymn beginning with sacris solemniis powerfully links the Eucharist to ‘newness’: “recedant vetera, nova sint omnia, corda, voces et opera” (let the old pass away, let everything be new, hearts, voices and actions). Can we say that the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is the sacrament par excellence of the ‘newness’ Christ has brought to this world and into which we are inserted as members of his Body? We will realize that it is so only if the Eucharist is truly the centre of our life.
The year 2019 has gone into history and 2020 has dawned. We call it the ‘new year’ and wish each other prosperity, good health, and all blessings from God for the 12 months to come. ‘Newness’ always signifies freshness and hope and implies progress, achievement, success, upward mobility, happiness. We usually speak of ‘newness’ from a purely material point of view – new house, new vehicle, new mobile, new computer, new gadget, new clothes, new job etc. but rarely of ‘new life’ in grace which is the first and most important gift we have to ask for from God before everything else and the rest will certainly follow. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mt. 6:33) is the promise of the Gospel. Unless the ‘newness’ we long for is of our innermost self whatever else we seek will be meaningless and even detrimental to true happiness because everything is transient and ephemeral unless weighed in the scale of life eternal. The word of God exhorts us: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with the desires, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 Jn. 2:15-17). To do the will of God – which is costly discipleship – is the way to true joy and peace which may not be of this world as Our Lord has clearly told us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn. 14: 27). If I find myself ‘troubled’ and ‘afraid’ sometimes due to ‘cares’ that weigh on my mind and heart, I need to return to the Lord who takes away my anxiety and floods my soul with his peace.
The words of Yahweh in the book of Prophet Ezekiel keep ringing in our ears: “... And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ez. 36:25-26). The covenantal relationship with God is a constant process of renewal of our heart in tune with God’s will and in his love. When we experience God’s love we enter into that newness which signifies the defeat of sin in us and the victory of God’s grace. This covenantal relationship has come to its culmination in Christ Our Lord and Saviour from whose fullness we have all received “grace upon grace” (Jn. 1:16). In the Holy Eucharist we celebrate the fullness of the covenantal relationship in Christ when we remember his words: “Take and drink, this is my blood, the blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins”. The Holy Eucharist is indeed the Sacrament of our newness of the heart individually and collectively in the Church and in our human society.
The ‘heart’ signifies not only our ‘feelings’ but symbolizes the very centre of our personality with all its attitudes, perspectives, desires etc. from which flow all our decisions and actions. We have to pray all the time, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10). It is not without reason that Our Lord Jesus Christ has taught us, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt. 5:8).
At our recent annual retreat for the clergy of the diocese in November 2019 at Navinta animated by Fr. Bonaventure Rodrigues (Spiritual Director of St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore) we were led into a deep ‘inner healing’ experience which proved beyond doubt that the action of the Holy Spirit can make a person totally ‘new’ like the crippled man who was healed (Acts 3:1-10) or like Saul who became Paul and who boldly proclaimed “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). In our subconscious mind we carry the ‘five wounds’ that can create havoc in our personality and can hamper our growth through low self-esteem and stored anger. These are: 1. Rejection, 2. Abandonment, 3. Betrayal, 4. Humiliation, 5. Injustice. If we look into certain patterns of our behaviour we will realize they emanate from these ‘wounds’; but we can be healed by surrendering the ‘memories’ of our life one by one and stage by stage, from even before birth, to the Lord to be healed by him and we will definitely receive this healing in this act of surrender in prayer. This is the ‘transfiguration’ into which the Lord wants to usher us as his disciples; it is a gradual process of entering into the newness of his glory which he alone can grant to us. If we remain unhealed the brokenness continues from generation to generation like the ‘original sin’ that is never wiped away. The five wounds ‘configure’ us to the Lord – to his wounds on the right hand, left hand, left side, right leg and left leg.
What are some of the consequences of ‘rejection’ (our ‘wound on the right hand’)? Withdrawal, feeling of helplessness, unacceptance, loneliness, being ambivalent, panicky, blaming others instead of looking into oneself. The same with ‘abandonment’(our ‘wound on the left hand’): blowing things out of proportion, needing support of others all the time, expecting affection all the time, bi-polar moods, frightened of authority, excessive fear of public. “Betrayal’ too (our ‘wound on the left side’) has its consequences: inability to control emotions, inability to delegate responsibility, aggressiveness, sensitivity, wanting to control all the time. The consequences of ‘humiliation’ (our ‘wound on the right leg’): self-martyr complex, always grumbling, murmuring, gaining satisfaction and even pleasure from suffering for others, making oneself miserable while helping others, feeling put down at the slightest criticism, finding hard to express one’s needs, over sensitiveness. Finally ‘injustice’ (our ‘wound on the left leg’) shows its consequences: over sensitiveness, arguing with authorities to make them agree, being very emotional and impulsive, great fear of making mistakes, stressfulness and tension.
The Good News is that our wounds are his wounds and by being ‘in him’ we are healed, transfigured and transformed. He went through rejection, abandonment, betrayal, humiliation and injustice but he trusted in his Father and was raised to life on the third day victorious over sin and death. Dying with him we shall also rise to fullness of life with him in his Resurrection.
May 2020 see us being new people in grace i.e. in all the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

BE THANKFUL AND LIVE IN THE PRESENT

As we bid good-bye to 2019 we need to give thanks to God for the year that is ending. It is not without reason that in almost all parishes throughout the world there is a service of thanksgiving on December 31. This service underlines the indispensability of gratitude in our Christian life, firstly to God, the source and sustainer of our being, and then to our fellow human beings through whom God works for our good. Without gratitude we are less human, with gratitude we are both human and divine. When we are ‘thankful’ we let go of our bitterness, anger and negative emotions and instead, allow God’s love, peace and joy to flood our hearts and determine our thoughts, desires and actions.
How many times St. Paul exhorts us to be ‘thankful’ to God! He is utterly convinced that the peace of Christ will rule in our hearts when we are thankful; and thankfulness will burst into psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. This will be a proof that the word of Christ dwells richly in our hearts as we also teach and admonish one another in all wisdom (cf. Col. 3:16-17). The mark of a Christian is to be joyful at all times and not to be anxious about anything but with complete trust in the Lord and with thankfulness in the heart to place all our petitions and supplications before God and the result will be, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4-7). If ever I realize that joy and peace are diminishing in my heart and love has gone cold I have to ask myself where I have strayed from the path of the Gospel and pray for the grace to ‘return’ to the path of light and life Christ has shown. All our worship and prayer is to bring us individually and collectively to the fundamental path of ‘thankfulness’. A sense of gratitude in the heart is always a sure anti-dote to grumbling, murmuring, irritability, self-pity, anger, hatred and resentment. This pertains not only to times of ‘prosperity’ but all the more to times of ‘adversity’ as St. Paul again reminds us: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:3-5).
In the USA there’s a ‘national day thanksgiving’, which is a wonderful tradition. Reflecting on this Fr. James Martin SJ (as reported in Catholic News Asia of Nov 19, 2019) points out that thanksgiving should be a daily occurrence, not an annual one. He says: “Thanksgiving is coming up. And if you think about it, that’s a strange thing to say for the Christian, isn’t it? Because giving thanks should be a daily occurrence, not an annual one. St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, once said that ingratitude was the worst of sins, and in fact, the origin of all sins. And you can see what he meant. If you’re not grateful for what you already have in your life, you tend to want more and more and then get a bit greedy, and then acquisitive and then impatient and then grasping, and so on. From there it’s just a short step to sinful behaviour. This is one reason, among many, that St. Ignatius invites us to start the daily Examen with gratitude. Not only because it’s a positive way to start off reviewing our day, and encourage us to see the good first, but because it grounds us in the reality of our lives. Gratitude is about looking at what God has already done, rather than looking at what you might need or want in the future, which may not be accurate at all. Gratitude, then, is a prayer about reality. And that’s true in whatever country you live”.
The passing of years gives occasion to another important reflection – the mystery of time and shortness of life. Some of us – subjectively of course – may feel the years are passing too fast, some others may not, but none can deny every passing moment brings us closer to the final goodbye from this world. The passing of time is a reality of life; we cannot escape it; what we can do to make life meaningful is to ‘celebrate’ time by living the ‘present moment’ in all its intensity.
Archbishop Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan (now on the road to beatification) in his famous book Testimony of Hope (Mumbai: Pauline Publications, 2000) leads us into a profound reflection on “The Present Moment” which is the only time we have in our hands, because the past is gone, and we do not know if there will be a future; therefore the present moment is our greatest wealth. He spent many years in prison and, despite the rigors of prison life, used his time, like St. Paul, to write messages of love to his people from prison.
So many people in the present context live strangely ‘alienated’ lives. Either they live in the past, in their memories, or in the expectation of the future, while seeking to avoid the present moment, or exercise their spirit in inventing ways ‘to kill time’. Such people do not live in the here and now, but in fantasies of which they are unaware. They don’t realize that eternity only touches the present moment and only gives itself to someone who is totally present in that moment. The present moment is our only chance to really ‘live’ and set our earthly life on the course to eternal life.
The NOW is the moment of grace, of the freedom that comes from the encounter with my Saviour. The Bible puts it starkly: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Ps. 95: 8). Also: “Behold, now is the favourable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2Cor. 6:2).
The entire message of the Gospel is focused on the NOW – to respond to God in repentance, to follow Christ in discipleship, to reject the wiles of the Evil One, to be a Good Samaritan, to love as Christ loved, to give and ask for forgiveness, to walk in the path of the Beatitudes, to recognize Christ in the poor and the downtrodden, to obey God’s will. We cannot postpone our salvation for TOMORROW, neither can we remain tied up with YESTERDAY; NOW is the moment of God’s visitation and we cannot let it pass by.
All of the Saints and holy people are great witnesses to the importance of living the present moment well. Archbishop Francis Xavier Van Thuan has given a cryptic summary of the characteristic spirituality of some of them:
St. Ignatius of Loyola – “to the greater glory of God”
St. John Bosco – “give me souls”
St. Mother Teresa – “Mercy”. “It is not the number of our works that are important, but the intensity of the love we put into every action”.
St. Paul of the Cross – “managing to live moment by moment in Him by doing well His will in every event”
St. Teresa of the Child Jesus – “My life is but an instant, a passing hour; O my God! You know that to love you on this earth, I only have today!”
St. FaustinaKowalska (Divine Mercy) – “If I look at the future I am full of fear … The past is not within my power… O present moment, you belong to me completely… Therefore, trusting in your mercy, I go forward in life as a child, and every day I offer to you my heart enflamed with love form your greater glory”.
Chiara Lubich (Focolare) – “the way of holiness is to live in God in the present moment”.
St. Pope Paul VI wrote in his “Thoughts on Death”:
“I will no longer look back, but do willingly, simply, humbly, and bravely the duties that come from the circumstances in which I find myself, as your will. To do quickly. To do everything. To do it well. To do it joyfully – whatever you want of me right now, even if it is beyond my strength, even if it asks my life. Finally, at the last hour”.
Archbishop’s Van Thuan’s advice: “How does one achieve this intensity of love (as taught by Mother Teresa) in the present moment? I simply think that I must live each day as the last one of my life. To leave aside everything accidental, to concentrate only on the essential”. “Every word, every gesture, every telephone call, every decision we make should be the most beautiful one of our life, giving our love and our smile to everyone, without losing a second. Let every moment of our life be, the first moment, the last moment, the only moment”. “I am afraid of wasting even one second by living it without meaning… When our hearts are filled with gratitude we also learn how to fill up each moment with love and make it grace-filled. May the One from whom we have received “grace upon grace” (Jn. 1:16) help us to make it so in 2020.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS…

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt. 6: 21) are the golden words of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Lord has used the metaphor of ‘treasure’ to talk to us about eternal life because the human tendency is to accumulate for ourselves wealth, power and positions here on earth in the belief that these alone will give us security, but we are sadly mistaken. These offer us no security because we have to leave this world one day and death is the surest reality of our life. In the parable of the ‘Rich Fool’ (Lk. 12:13-21) the man who has placed his trust in his material wealth is called a ‘fool’ because he laid up treasure for himself on earth and was “not rich toward God”. To be rich toward God is the mark of Christian discipleship and the essence of the Gospel. We have to pray every day that we may not substitute the wisdom of the Gospel which leads to life with worldly wisdom which leads to death. The Lord’s golden rule: “For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction… For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life” (Mt. 7:13-14). We have to always ask ourselves: which gate have I chosen or do I choose, the one of life or the one of death?
In his letter to Timothy St. Paul has warned that ‘the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1Tim. 6:10). Further on he says: “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1Tim. 6:17-19).
The Lord is very clear in the truth he has enunciated: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt. 6:21). It is very salutary to ask all the time, ‘where is the treasure I seek and consequently where is my heart; how much time and energy I spend daily on my treasure and whether this treasure relates to the Kingdom of God’?’ What are the deepest concerns of my life that occupy me?
The two commemorations with which we begin the month of November – the feast of All Saints and the remembrance of All Souls – focus on our attention on our true ‘treasure’ and where our ‘heart’ should be. The saints in heaven are those who have lived their ordinary life in an extraordinary way. In the midst of all the temptations of life they have discerned what is eternal and what is passing and have chosen, in the power of the Spirit, the path that leads to salvation. As Our Lord Jesus Christ exhorts us in the Gospel, they have lived their lives in the ‘wisdom’ that comes from the Holy Spirit. They have been like the servant ever awake and alert waiting for the master’s return (cf. Lk. 12: 35-40 ) or like the five wise virgins who not only took their lamps but also extra oil with them (cf. Mt. 25:1-13). The path to salvation is to live the Gospel in our daily life according to the state of life in which God has placed us. This demands tremendous self-sacrifice and self-emptying but that is exactly what makes for sanctity as revealed by Christ.
Our Lord Jesus Christ does not tell us to despise material security but he warns us regarding our attitude to it lest in our pursuit for earthly pleasure and happiness we remain in the ephemeral and transient and lose sight of the “treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal”(Mt. 6:20). It was not without reason that the Lord’s public ministry is preceded by his forty days and forty nights of fasting and prayer in the desert where he shunned the temptations of the Evil One to pleasure, wealth, power and popularity. On the contrary he has taught us to live on every word that falls from the mouth of God.
Our ‘treasure’ need not be our material possessions alone but also our ‘ego’ and attachment to it. We may be stubbornly attached to our ways of thinking and acting. ‘Egoism’ is an excessive attention on the ‘self’ and its satisfaction to the neglect of the other people’s points of view, their needs and emotional fulfillment. The attention of a selfish and self-centred person will be more on oneself and very little on the other. Of course such a person will also be a ‘prisoner’ of one’s own ideas, prejudices and attitudes until he/she is ‘released’ from this prison by the healing touch of God. The Gospel of Jesus is the testament of God’s infinite love for broken humanity to liberate us from the power of sin and the clutches of the Evil One and make us truly children of God, filled with grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the undeniable mystery of the cross and the resurrection of which Christ has made us partakers through baptism. Through conversion of heart we enter into a new way of thinking and behaving as people ‘enlightened’ by the divine light and no more walking in darkness. We need to pray for this ‘newness’ to be our way of life all the time lest we go back to our former ways of thinking and behaving. As St. Paul says: “… as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4: 21-24).
The incident of the two sisters Mary and Martha (cf. Lk. 10: 38-42) looks so trivial yet has become part of the inspired word because it encapsulates so powerfully the core message of the Gospel. The figure of Martha in her behaviour may well speak to many of us in our day to day life – stressful and tensed, self-pitying and pouting, angry and complaining, judgmental and condemnatory. On the contrary Mary is seated at the feet of the Lord and listening to every word that falls from his mouth; and the Lord tells Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her”. The ‘good portion’ Mary has chosen is to be in communion with the Lord and listen to him. She knows that her treasure is the Lord himself and there could not be anything greater or more valuable in comparison. As the Lord himself has said: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field… Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Mt. 13: 44). He has also compared it to a pearl of great price.
Mary stands for the mystical and contemplative dimension of our life whereby we live from our ‘depths’ and not superficially. We need to descend into our inner being, our true self i.e. God within us, the indwelling Holy Trinity (cf. Jn. 14:23) in order to live a mature life founded on love.
Joyce Rupp in her book Open the Door: A Journey to the True Self narrates a legend found in various lands in different languages. It tells the story of a person who has an enticing dream of a highly valuable treasure located in a far away land. The dream is repeated until the person has no choice but to go in search of that treasure. The dreamer leaves home and sets out on the long and arduous journey filled with both dangerous and enthralling adventure, never being sure if that which is sought will be found. The story ends with the traveler finally coming to the place where the treasure is supposedly hidden. Instead of finding the treasure there, the seeker meets a stranger at that site who tells about a dream he/she had in which the long-sought treasure is located back at the place where the dreamer originally started out. On hearing this, the dreamer, who has been seeking all those years, now hurries back as quickly as possible to get home. Arriving back at the place of the dream, sure enough, there is the treasure. What the person sought on the arduous journey was there all along!
This legend, according to Rupp, teaches us life’s journey is important. The flow of ups and downs has to be made and we have to come full circle back to the ‘home of our heart’. Though the journey is lengthy, each step of the way offers meaning and direction, bringing us into our deeper self where the finest treasure awaits discovery.
The ‘heart’ as the symbolic centre of our life’s willing is extremely important in the Gospel. Our Lord speaks of those who are ‘pure in heart’ (cf. Mt. 5:8)); therefore the need to keep our heart clean so that what flows out of it is not evil but good (cf. Mt. 15: 10-20 ‘What Defiles a Person’). At the recent Ram Leela festival a simple labourer quipped to me that the spectacle of Ravan being sent up in flames is not so important as the need to remove the ‘evil’ from our hearts. So also, way back on a visit to Kashmir, a taxi driver had given me a beautiful explanation of a true Haj pilgrimage – not travelling to Mecca but having goodness in one’s heart and living a life pleasing to Allah.
The answer to the question, ‘where is my heart and where is my treasure?’ will be the barometer of my sincerity before God.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

SAINT MARIAM THRESIA
(1876-1926)

On October 13, 2019 Pope Francis will canonize five new saints for Mother Church. These are:

• Blessed John Henry Newman (British) – the great scholar-saint of our times and champion of the movement for the Catholic unity of the One Church of Christ
• Blessed Dulce Lopes Pontes (Brazilian) – a missionary Sister who is known as ‘Sister Dulce’
• Blessed Marguerite Bays (Swiss) – a laywoman from Switzerland who bore the stigmata
• Blessed Josephine Vannini (Italian) – co-foundress of the ‘Daughters of St. Camillus’
• Blessed Mariam ThresiaChiramelMankidiyan (Indian) – foundress of the ‘Congregation of the Holy Family’.

All saints are given to us as models of Christian discipleship and holiness of life. As our Catholic faith teaches, they serve both as models and intercessors for us on our pilgrim way here on earth. Their lives reflect the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ in its radiance and they beckon us to that same fidelity to the Lord that they showed in their own lives. They were ‘ordinary’ human beings like any one of us, yet they lived their life in an ‘extraordinary’ way, which prompts us to challenge ourselves with the question, ‘if they could do it, why can’t I?’

Mariam ThresiaChiramelMankidiyan was born in Puthenchira in the Thrissur District of Kerala on April 26, 1876, the third of five children, two boys and three girls. She was christened ‘Thresia’ after St. Teresa of Avila. As a growing up child she faced fortunes and misfortunes in the family but her faith in God, her communion with Christ, her love for the Church, her deep devotion to Mary and the Saints, her desire to proclaim the Gospel of Christ and her longing for heaven were never shaken. Perhaps her painful experiences in the family were to be the seedbed of her special calling to one day found a congregation of sisters entirely dedicated to the apostolate of the family – the Congregation of the Holy Family. This is the way God works in his divine plan to bring salvation to our broken world, and his ways always transcend the purely ‘human’ ways of thinking, judging and acting. This is amply manifested in the life of this saint from the soil of India.

Thresia grew up in piety and holiness, within the ancient Catholic traditions and culture of the Syro-Malabar Church, under the loving guidance of her saintly mother Thanda. Already at the age of eight, moved by an intense desire to love God with her whole heart and mind and self, she began fasting four times a week and prayed the Rosary several times a day. She began to spend many nights in vigil in order to grow in the likeness of the suffering Christ and consecrate herself totally to the Lord. As St. Paul would say: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2: 20). In 1884 her mother tried in vain to dissuade her pious daughter from such severe penances. By 1886 she had already made a private vow to remain chaste as one consecrated to Christ and for this she would not consider any sacrifice too big. This does not mean that she didn’t have to pass through the ‘dark night of the soul’ –temptations against chastity and even faith, but she received also the strength from on high and the enlightenment to overcome them.

The death of her mother in 1888 marked the end of her formal school studies and from then on she dedicated herself to contemplation in her local parish church. It was along search to discern her own vocation in life. Formal educational qualifications are important but much more important are the divine wisdom and knowledge that God infuses into our soul as the ‘gifts of the Holy Spirit’ and which are the guarantee of our salvation. Like Our Blessed Mother and the Saints we see Thresia longing to be filled with the divine gifts. She longed for a ‘hidden’ life of prayer and, in order to accomplish this, she even devised a scheme to sneak away from home and lead an eremitical life in the solitude of the far away wood hills surviving on leaves and water. This was in 1891. However God miraculously revealed to her that this was not at all his plan for her and she totally gave up the idea. She continued to frequent her parish church with her three companions. They would clean the church regularly, decorate the altar and be part of all the religious activities of the parish. She never compromised the centrality of the Holy Mass and the Sacrament of Confession in her Christian life.

The unique spiritual legacy she has left behind is her intense desire to love Jesus and be like him in his toil and ministry. She helped the poor, nursed the sick, visited and comforted the lonely people of her parish. She nursed even hideous and revolting cases of leprosy and small pox, often abandoned to their lot by their poor relatives who had no means of caring for them.

Thresia and her three companions formed a group of prayer and apostolate. Breaking the custom of the time and risking much criticism these four young girls were on the roads visiting the families in need and witnessing to God’s love in Christ. Their hearts were enkindled with the fire of the Holy Spirit to courageously embark on this mission.

Since 1904 she wanted to be called ‘Mariam Thresia’ because she believed that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her in a vision and asked her to add ‘Mariam’ to her name. In fact she is believed to have been guided continuously in her apostolate by the visions of the Holy Family of Nazareth – Jesus, Mary, Joseph.

Throughout her life she prayed for sinners, their repentance and conversion to God and offered her penances for this great spiritual cause of the Church. In her ascetical and penitential practices she was definitely in line with the life of self-denial and self-transcendence lived by the hermits and monks of old in their pursuit of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience in order to follow the crucified and risen Christ radically. She received several mystical gifts like prophecy, healing, aura of light, sweet odour. Like St. Teresa of Avila she had frequent ecstasies and levitations. It is told that on Fridays, people used to gather to see Mariam Thresia lifted high and hanging in the form of a crucifix on the wall of her room. There is also the evidence that God gave her the gift of the ‘stigmata’ i.e. the five wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ imprinted on her body, but she kept it carefully in hiding from public view in order not to draw attention to herself. Such was her humility.

As it happens in the life of great saints who resist the wiles of the Evil One, and whom sin cannot overpower, e.g., St. John Mary Vianney, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, the Evil One begins to ‘attack’ in mysterious ways. Mariam Thresia was also subjected to such torments by the Devil and his cohorts almost all through her life. This is documented in her brief autobiography. Perhaps this was to keep her humble in the midst of all the mystical favours she had received from the Lord and the ‘fame’ that had come her way. On account of these vexations she was repeatedly subjected to ‘exorcism’ between 1902 and 1905 by Fr. Joseph Vithayathil, the parish priest of Puthenchira and also her spiritual director. He was acting under the orders of the Bishop Most Rev. John Menachery who wanted to ascertain that she was not being ‘used’ by the Evil One to mislead people through extraordinary phenomena which appear ‘supernatural’. This is always the precaution the Church takes in all such circumstances. Mariam Thresia submitted to the exorcisms with utmost humility, which was also the sign of her exemplary sanctity. Nevertheless many people began to regard her as someone ‘possessed’ by the Devil, therefore a ‘dubious saint’; but she had the spiritual support of her spiritual director.

In 1903 she requested permission from Bishop John Menachery to build a ‘prayer house of solitude’ with the intention of founding a new religious community for the apostolate to which God was calling her, i.e., the apostolate of the family. The Bishop, in order to ‘test’ her vocation, asked her to join two already existing religious congregations one after the other but she did not feel that her calling was in those congregations, so she left them. Finally, in 1913, the Bishop permitted her to build the prayer house of solitude she had in mind and had it blessed. Mariam Thresia moved in there, and her three companions soon joined her. They lived a life of prayer and austere penance like the hermits of old, but continued to joyfully visit the sick and help the poor and needy irrespective of caste or creed.

The Bishop discerned that here was truly the hand of God inspiring and impelling Mariam Thresia to found a new congregation in the service of the family. This came into being on May 14, 1914 with the name “Congregation of the Holy Family” (CHF). From a small community of four consecrated women, today the CHF is a huge family of over 1500 highly committed religious sisters belonging to 7 provinces and serving the Church and society in India and abroad with the motto to build up the family as the firm foundation of a healthy society and vibrant Church. We thank God for that miracle.

Mariam Thresia died in 1926. She was declared ‘Blessed’ by Pope John Paul II on January 27, 2000 and will be declared ‘Saint’ by Pope Francis on October 13, 2019.

Two books on her life are very useful for information and meditative reflection: MARIAM THRESIA, A Great Mystic by Dr. Sr. Ruby Therese CHF (Thrissur: Holy Family Publications, 2016) and Crucified with CHRIST for all: A Biography of Bl. Mariam Thresia by George Nedungatt S.J. (Kochi: Little Flower Press, 2002).

May, through her example and intercession, we never flag in zeal for the mission of Christ.

+ Archbishop Anil Couto
Archbishop of Delhi

MARY: MOTHER OF SORROWS

September 15 is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows and it comes a day after the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. That connection is very significant because Our Blessed Mother’s sorrows are her participation in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ in discipleship and in her sorrows she proclaims the triumph of the Cross. The call of the Lord to take up our cross and follow him if we wish to be his disciples is first and foremost fulfilled in her life in a pre-eminent way. Again and again she places before us the words of the Gospel: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Mt. 16: 24-26). She helps us to ask this question at every moment of our life and in every thought, word and action: ‘Am I choosing the path of life or of death and destruction?’ The ‘path of life’ does not ensure the elimination of all pain and suffering on this earth; it does not promise ‘pleasures and material happiness in all its fullness’ as my lower self would always desire but it guarantees the joys of eternal life “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1Cor. 2:9). From the day of her ‘fiat’ Mary chose the ‘narrow gate’: “For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Mt. 7:13-14).

There is no doubt our Blessed Mother’s heart was set on the ‘treasures that do not perish’ as Our Lord has warned: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Mt. 6:19-21).

Isn’t our Blessed Mother the living embodiment of the Gospel? Isn’t she the first disciple who made Jesus her Son her way, her truth and her life? And she did this in silence by walking the path of sorrows which was also her path of divine joy. This is the reason why the Church has held her in the highest veneration right from the beginning as both the New Testament and Church history testify. When the Acts of the Apostles speak of her as being in the midst of the nascent Church (cf. Acts 1:14) we cannot but believe that she was guiding the early Church in the paths of the Gospel of salvation and accompanying them in the Christian life of fidelity to the Holy Spirit.

It is a paradox that the Cross which is the sign of utter weakness, powerlessness and defeat in human reckoning should be the sign of victory. This victory of the Cross is Christ’s victory over the Evil One who is the source of sin and death. Strangely there is no feast of ‘Mary Mother of Joys’, though we have the joyful mysteries and the joyful feast of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mother. Perhaps the emphasis on ‘sorrows’ is because our human experience is filled more with pain and sorrow than with joy of a worldly kind and our happiness can turn into sadness at any moment. So precarious and fragile is the ‘security’ this world offers us.

We pray in the “Salve Regina”: “To thee do we cry poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this vale of tears”. In the popular Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help we pray for Our Blessed Mother’s help in temporal wants referring to the “problems of our daily life”, “trials and sorrows that often depress us”, “reverses of fortune and painful privations” which bring “misery into our lives” and the “cross” that we meet everywhere. Indeed each one of us knows the painful cross that we carry in our life and how burdensome it is. Our suffering can be physical and emotional and so the pain that we bear.

The Gospels provide us a glimpse of the pain Our Blessed Mother bore in her accompaniment of her Divine Son from his birth at Bethlehem to his death on Calvary – ‘the sword that pierced through her soul’ (cf. Lk. 2:35); and “she treasured up all these things in her heart” (Lk. 2: 51).

What do we learn from her sufferings? She was a courageous woman who didn’t allow her sufferings to depress her. Silence was her forte. She was a contemplative woman. Contemplation is not the domain of the monks and hermits alone who live in isolation but the daily food of every human being and especially of every disciple of Christ. We have to come back again and again to what Our Lord told Martha regarding the “good portion” that Mary her sister has chosen (cf. Lk. 10:42 ). The “good portion” is to sit at the feet of the Lord and listen to every word that flows from his mouth. When we do this the Lord gives us his healing touch and “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7) descends on our soul. We experience the inner harmony and the joy that no one can ever take away from us. This is the secret the Lord has passed on to us when he said: “Abide in me, and I in you” (Jn. 15:4); “Abide in my love” (Jn. 15:9). If we don’t sit at his feet and listen to his word we will easily allow ourselves to be swayed by the negative forces within us – hatred, anger, jealousy, bitterness, vindictiveness, and the like. When Martha was grumbling with self-pity the Lord helped her to switch her attention from self to God by pointing to the “good portion” that Mary has chosen. When she did this she learnt the secret of self-transcendence and the ability to understand the other, relate with love to everyone and be a contemplative person even while being busy with household chores.

Through our inner communion with the indwelling Holy Trinity we do not run away from suffering, but descend into its mystery like the ‘baptism’ Our Lord says he has to be baptized with (cf. Lk. 12: 50). Our Lord entered his Passion not by rebelling against it but ‘embracing’ it with the readiness to drink the chalice to its dregs. That was his courage to walk the path to Calvary and die on the Cross for the salvation of humanity. His total oblation of himself was also the door to the Resurrection. The complete surrender to the Father’s will of the ‘sinless One’ results in his complete victory over sin and death. He had to rise again body and soul to open for us the gates of eternal life. This is also the secret Our Lord reveals to us as he places before us the call to die like the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, if we wish to bear fruit (cf. Jn. 12:24). He is the “founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12: 2) who teaches us the secrets of true ‘joy’ which is different from seeking mere ‘happiness’. Joy is the divine gift of the Holy Spirit which the Lord possessed all his life and which he has passed on to us when he says to his disciples: “that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (Jn. 15: 11). He knew the cross would lead to fullness of joy in God’s Kingdom where he would be “seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). Knowing this joy he was not afraid to endure the cross and its shame.

This is also the witness of all the saints (cloud of witnesses) and very especially of the martyrs who went to their death with joyful confidence in the crown that awaited them in eternity. They were not afraid to submit themselves to all kinds of tortures, physical and mental, because they trusted in the power of God to vindicate them.

Mary Our Blessed Mother teaches us this same mystery of embracing pain and suffering joyfully if we wish to enter into eternal life. Her Assumption into heaven body and soul is the natural consequence of her being the woman who is the “highly favoured one” (Lk. 1: 28) and of her readiness to do God’s will with complete surrender – her ‘fiat’. With her Son she too was sinless, therefore her Son’s victory over sin and death is hers too; but it is also a promise to the disciples of Christ and whole of humanity that death will have no power over those who follow her Son on the path of self-denial as the Gospel lays out before us.

St. Paul summarises it beautifully: “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:2-5). Further on he says: “For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8: 18).

A very important lesson Our Blessed Mother gives us is that of alleviating others’ sufferings instead of concentrating on our own. This is the mark of a Spirit-filled person. When she heard that her cousin Elizabeth was about to give birth to a child, she forgets her own needs and rushes to Ain Karim which, in those days, was a long and arduous journey, to assist her cousin Elizabeth. When we engage in selfless service by not asking ‘what shall I eat, and what shall I drink and what shall I wear’ (cf. Mt. 6:25) but like the Good Samaritan being a neighbour to the fallen man, we experience the joy that this world cannot give us and we bring God’s kingdom here on earth. We also experience the strength to bear our own sufferings with courage and our burdens become lighter.

I remember the wonderful example left behind by our late seminarian Brother Stalin who succumbed to cancer in mid-January 2015. He was in the last stages of his life and yet, in the cancer ward of AIIMS, when I went to visit him, he was more concerned about the suffering of other patients, one or two of them very young children who were crying in pain, than his own sufferings – and he passed into eternity very soon later. He was a great devotee of Our Blessed Mother and she must definitely have lifted him up into heaven immediately.

St. Paul also speaks of “rejoicing in his sufferings” and “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col. 1:24). Our sufferings can never be insignificant and valueless – they have a great salvific value for the whole Church and especially when we bear them with patience and joyfully surrender ourselves to God’s will trusting in his love. We don’t know how God’s grace works through our sufferings to bring the blessings of God to people in any part of the world.

May Mary our Mother of Sorrows teach us to say ‘yes’ to God’s will at all times and experience the ‘joy’ of the Holy Spirit in the midst of all our sorrows.

ONCE YOU PUT YOUR HAND TO THE PLOW

“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk. 9:62) are the clear and unminced words of Our Lord in the Gospel. We heard them on Sunday June 30. They primarily refer to our life of discipleship which is not an easy affair. It is costly but joyful – the joy that this world cannot give us (cf. Jn. 15:11). To live the Gospel in its radicality is difficult. It demands self-denial and self-emptying (cf. Mt. 10: 38-39; 16:24-26) but the Spirit of the Lord never fails us. In the Lord’s discourse to his disciples the key phrase is ‘perseverance or endurance to the end’: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt. 10: 22). God’s judgement is sure. One can never expect to be saved by consistently breaking God’s commandments in this life, however great and powerful one may pretend to be on this earth.

We begin our journey of ‘yes’ to the Lord on the day of our Baptism and end it on the day we leave this world to enter into eternal life. During this period we are called to immerse ourselves more and more deeply into the Paschal Mystery of Christ – dying with him and rising with him to new life (cf. Rom. 6:4). It is a forward movement, not a backward one – of greater intensity every day, nay every moment. It pertains to our growth in holiness and virtue whereby we allow the rivers of living water to flow from our hearts (cf. Jn. 7: 38). Joyce Rupp compares this growth to the opening of the inner door:

The full person God created us to be contains more than we can imagine, but most of us dwell within only a small portion of the superb castle of ourselves. Opening the door of our heart allows us entrance to the vast treasure of who we are and to the divine presence within us. We have an immeasurable amount of love and tenderness in us if only we open the door to discover it. The same is true with the multitude of our other qualities and virtues. Each door we open helps us to grow into the fullness of who we are. Each discovery moves us to contribute love in our world…
When we open the door and go inside, God is there in the temple of our soul, in the ashram of our heart, in the cathedral of our being. Which is not to dismiss the reality of this same loving presence being fully alive in our external world. The Holy One is with us in all of our life. Our purpose for opening the door inward is to help us know and claim who we are so we can more completely join with God in expressing this love in every part of our external world…
When I open the door of my heart to God, I do more than simply extend a smile or recognition or a nod of welcome. I open myself to grow and change in ways I may never dream likely. I risk being spiritually transformed into a person whose life continually manifests goodness …
The choices and decisions I make determine whether I’ll go through the door and enter the unknown territory of growth, or turn back and cling to the safety of who I presently am. If I am alert and willing to be transformed, I open the door of my self and greet fresh ideas, along with possible changes in attitude and emotional response. Whenever I choose to open the door and step across the threshold of possibility, I become more conscious of myself as a person with unlimited potential for goodness and ever fuller unity with the divine (Open the Door: A Journey to the True Selfby Joyce Rupp, Bangalore: ATC Publications, 2008, pp. 4-8).

To ‘look back’ would mean to stop in one’s tracks; to hesitate and turn back; to be discouraged and give up; but the more we experience ‘failure’ in our spiritual life, the more God’s grace abounds to goad us onwards in our journey and to make our failure a victory. Falling and rising is inbuilt in the story of our life. It is a process of greater enlightenment and greater growth at every step of the way.

The absolute model and exemplar for us is our Lord Jesus Christ himself who never turned back once he had set his eyes towards Jerusalem – the place of his suffering, death and resurrection (cf. Lk 9: 51).This is the kind of fidelity and perseverance that should define our Christian life of marriage, priestly commitment, religious consecration, missionary service, personal choices, attitudinal behaviour and social conduct.Experience shows that this does not always happen in the ideal way as we would want it to but God in his infinite love and mercy always makes concessions for our weaknesses. He gives us the strength to renew our lives and move on with trust in his love. We can never fathom the plan of God in our finite and limited intellects and nobody is ever entitled to judge another person.

To remain faithful to the Gospel of Christ we need his grace. This grace is Christ himself who is the full embodiment of God’s love(cf. Col 1:15-20)and from whom we have received “grace upon grace” (Jn. 1: 16). Jesus does not speak to us of ‘cheap grace’ but ‘costly grace’.Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor who was imprisoned and put to death by the Nazis for his resistance makes this marvelous distinction. “Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, and grace without Jesus Christ. It is an intellectual assent, but requires no moral courage. On the other hand, ‘costly grace’ is the grace of discipleship, of true following the way of Jesus Christ – a way that leads first to the cross before it leads to the resurrection. Bonhoeffer chose ‘costly grace’. What about us? What about our ministry, our relationships, our choices? We all encounter the cross in one way or another in our lives and in our ministries. Grace is god’s gift to wake us up and empower us as disciples. It is grace that summons us to ask the hard questions: How do we build a world of harmony? Of justice and peace? How do we stand in solidarity with those who have lost much?” (Grace Abounds: A Callto Awaken and Renew Your Faith by Edith Prendergast RSC, Mumbai: Pauline Publications, 2016, pp. 24-25).

Many people have shared their experiences of how they have persevered when the going was tough and trusting in God have gone ahead despite many hurdles to ultimately succeed. The famous story of King Bruce of Scotland who was inspired to go ahead in a battle and become a winner because he saw a spider on a wall persevere and finally succeed despite successive failureshas been told many times in different contexts. The story has a special message to the youth during the months of June-August because it is during this trimester that they are busy making their academic choices with their future in mind. It may happen that they become discouraged when they face failure in their examinations or do not obtain admission to the colleges of their choice or do not get the subject of their choice etc. The tendency is often to be discouraged, depressed and recoil in a world of loneliness. It should not be so. Christian faith and depression can never go together. There is a reservoir of divine strength and hope in us and the one who trusts in the Lord will never be discouraged or depressed. I like to see children and young people in sports who keep running to the touch line despite knowing they are far behind – they never give up. Often they get the biggest applause because the audience recognizes their determination and perseverance.

John L. Mason in his book An Enemy Called Average (Mumbai: St. Paul’s, 2007, pp. 41-42) says: “Persistent people begin their success where most others quit. We Christians need to be known as people of persistence and endurance. One person with commitment, persistence, and endurance will accomplish more than a thousand people with interest alone”. Then he goes to narrate the story of the “Chinese Bamboo”. During the first four years, they water and fertilize the plant with seemingly little or no results. Then the fifth year, they again apply water and fertilizer – and in five weeks’ time the tree grows ninety feet in height! The obvious question is whether the Chinese bamboo tree grew ninety feet in five weeks or five years? The answer is that it grew ninety feet in five years. If at any time during those five years the people had stopped watering and fertilizing the tree, it would have died.

Many times, when our dreams and plans appear not to be succeeding, we are tempted to give up and quit trying. Instead we need to continue to water and fertilize these dreams, nurturing the seeds of the vision God has placed within us; because we know that if we do not quit, if we display perseverance and endurance, we will also reap a harvest.

May God grant us the gift of perseverance in our spiritual life and in all areas of our life.

THE POWER OF PRAYER AND THE MERCY OF GOD

When God answers our prayers it is not because we have power over God but that God is merciful to us. Prayer manifests our total dependence on God and his providence. God listens to our prayers when we place our petitions before him with childlike trust and confidence. This is the theme of the entire Bible and particularly of the New Testament. Our Lord has promised us that our Heavenly Father will grant to us what we ask for when we pray to him in faith: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Mt. 7:7-8). In reality, when we have faith even as small as a grain of mustard seed we can move mountains, because there is nothing that is impossible to the one who believes (cf. Mt. 17: 20); in fact “with God all things are possible” (Mt. 19:26). However there are ‘conditions’ for the effectiveness of prayer which our Lord lays down in the one and only prayer he taught, the ‘Our Father’. It is the heart that matters before God and not words alone, however loud and lengthy. Sometimes we rattle through the ‘Our Father’ but if listen carefully to the introduction to the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ at the Holy Mass, we will realize that we cannot take this prayer lightly. The introduction says: “At the Saviour’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say”. We would never ever have had the courage to relate to God in this manner unless the Son of God himself had opened for us the mystery of God’s infinite love towards humanity and the Trinitarian communion into which we are called. In another instance the Lord sums up the two conditions for prayer to be heard: “Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mk. 11: 24-25). And we may even add a third condition to what the Lord has taught, which is like a corollary and that is ‘thanksgiving’. St Paul teaches: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice … The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4: 4-7). This is not a thanksgiving ‘after’ receiving what we have asked for but ‘before’ receiving it, and that is true Christian faith.

When Peter was in prison after Herod had executed James, the early church prayed in earnest for his release and an angel of the Lord rescued him from the prison in a miraculous way (cf. Act of the Apostles 12: 1-11). Miracles do take place when we trust in the Lord with a humble and childlike heart. Nevertheless, there are many people of a critical and skeptical mind who do not believe in ‘miracles’ and want to explain every event through ‘natural causes’. They also don’t believe in prayer and its power. However, when a world famous surgeon who belongs to the scientific community begins to talk about the power of prayer and the role of faith in his life, that should make us to sit up and listen. It calls for full attention.

Dr. Luzito J. de Souza is one of India’s most eminent onco-surgeons from Mumbai. He has been professor and head of gastroenterology department at Tata Memorial Hospital for many years before moving to P.D.Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre as consultant onco-surgeon. He has been consultant oncologist to Air India and Indian Airlines. Besides receiving a Padma Shri from the Government of India in 1992 he has to his credit many international awards and recognitions in the field of cancer research and palliative care. He is the founder of the charitable trust called the ‘Shanti Avedna Ashram’ for the terminally ill patients run by the Holy Cross Sisters (Kottiyam). The trust currently has a network of three homes in Mumbai, Goa and Delhi respectively. The ‘Shanti Avedna Ashram’ of Delhi has entered its twenty-fifth year in 2019. The other two are older.

In 2015, during the ‘Year of Mercy’, he penned a beautiful little book by the above-mentioned title wherein he narrates in twenty succinct chapters twenty incidents in his life where he has experienced the “power of prayer and the mercy of God”. In fact the very foundation of the three homes itself and their growth is a miracle of God made possible through prayer, as he mentions in his book. Some of the incidents he narrates may look very ‘ordinary’, but to him they are ‘extraordinary’ and beyond human explanation as the outcome could never have been possible if he had not prayed earnestly to God for help.

The Eucharist is the centre of his life. He had given this testimony at the Eucharistic Congress held in Mumbai in November 2014 to mark the 50th anniversary of the 38th Eucharistic Congress held in Mumbai in 1964 when Pope Paul VI came to our country as a ‘pilgrim of peace’. In Chapter Eight he speaks of the power of the Eucharist. He narrates: “In my professional work, I make it a point to take the help of the Eucharist every day, and especially when I have to do a difficult or complicated surgery. In fact, when we (he & wife) leave the Church after the Eucharistic celebration we say, ‘And grant that as we leave your House we may be aware of your presence’. He is with us and in us when we receive the Eucharist and when God and man work together nothing is really impossible. This, I have experienced any number of times in my surgical practice of almost fifty years. To give just one example, we had recently operated a rather complicated case in one of the city hospitals. He had not one but three cancers in his colon. Further, one of the cancers was the size of a coconut and densely adherent to surrounding vital structures. When I explored the patient, my first impression was that it was inoperable. I was planning to back out and give him chemotherapy initially, to shrink the tumours. This would have meant a temporary stoma (opening), and a secondary surgery to resect the cancers after the chemotherapy. I started separating the big tumour slowly, and most unexpectedly was able to dissect it off the major surrounding structures without any damage. Further, when we opened the specimen after resection we could not find the lower-most cancer as shown by the endoscopy. We had to look lower in the rectum to find it. Just when we were preparing to do on table an endoscopy to find the tumour, my Assistant felt something much lower down. We were able to resect this successfully also. The final report showed that all three cancers were resected and there was surprisingly no spread to nodes. The patient made an uneventful recovery and with some minimal adjuvant chemotherapy should have a very good prognosis. At the end of the surgery I said to my Assistant that it was a near ‘miracle’ that we were able to remove the cancers. He was a non-believer and did not understand what I was saying, but I did. It was the strength and guidance of the Eucharist that had enabled us to save the patient’s life. Such is the power of the Eucharist in prayer”.

In the Prologue to his book he recounts an incident that he had read in an article on the “The Power of Prayer”. Let me reproduce the entire narrative here as it is very captivating. Dr. Mark, a well-known Cancer Specialist was once on his way to an important conference in another city where he was to receive an award in the field of medical research. He was very excited to attend the conference and was desperate to reach as soon as possible. He had worked long and hard, done his research and felt his efforts deserved the award he was about to obtain. However, two hours after the plane took off, the plane made an emergency landing at the nearest airport due to some technical snag. Afraid that he would not make it in time for the conference, Dr. Mark immediately went to the reception and found that the next flight to his destination was well after ten hours. The receptionist suggested that he rent a car and drive himself to the conference city. It was only four hours away.

Having no other choice he agreed to the idea, despite his hatred for driving long distances. Dr. Mark, rented a car and started his journey. However, soon after he left, the weather suddenly changed and a heavy storm began. The pouring rain made it very difficult to see and he missed a turn that he was supposed to take. After two hours of driving he was convinced he was lost. Driving in the heavy rain on a deserted road, feeling hungry and tired, he frantically began to look for any sign of civilization. After some time, he finally came across a small tattered house. Desperately, he got out of the car and knocked at the door. A beautiful lady opened the door. He explained his predicament and asked her if he could use her telephone. However, the lady told him that she did not have a phone or any electronic gadget. She told the doctor to come inside and wait till the weather improved.

Hungry, wet and exhausted, the doctor accepted her kind offer and walked in. The lady gave him hot tea and something to eat. The lady told him that he can join her in prayer. Dr. Mark smiled and said that he believed in hard work only and told her to continue with her prayers. Sitting at the table and sipping the tea, the doctor watched the woman in the dim candle light as she prayed next to what appeared to be a small baby crib. Every time she finished a prayer, she would start another one. Feeling that the woman might be in need of help, the doctor seized the opportunity to speak as soon as she finished her prayer. The doctor asked her what exactly she wanted from God and inquired whether God would ever listen to her prayers. He further asked her about the small child in the crib for whom she was apparently praying. The lady gave a sad smile and said that the child in the crib was her son, who was suffering from a rare type of cancer and there was only one Dr. Mark who could cure him. But she did not have money to afford his fee. And moreover, he lived in another far-off town. She said that God had not answered her prayer so far, but added that God would create some way out some day, adding that she would not allow her fears to overcome her faith.

Stunned and speechless, Dr. Mark was in tears which were rolling down his cheeks. He whispered ‘God is Great’ and recollected the sequence of events – there was a malfunction in the plane, a thunderstorm hit, and he lost his way. And all of this happened because God did not just answer her prayer but also gave him a chance to come out of his materialistic world and give some time to the poor, helpless people who have nothing to offer, but are rich prayer!

Dr. Luzito says he could have recounted hundreds of incidents in his life to testify to his faith but the twenty he has described in his book are enough to convince us that there is something more than mere ‘chance’ or ‘luck’ and this ‘something more’ is the “power of prayer and the mercy of God”. God will always answer our prayer but not always according to our will and in our time but according to His will, in His time and in His way because our ways are not His ways!

COMMUNITY AND GROWTH

Jean Vanierwas the founder of l’Arche communities and author of the almost classical work Community & Growth (St. Paul’s, Mumbai, Bandra, 1996). Born in Geneva on September 10, 1928 he died in Paris on May 7, 2019 at the ripe old age of 91. He had stint as a naval officer in the British Royal Navy during the World War II years, lived for sometime in a Trappist monastery, studied philosophy and taught philosophy at the University of Toronto; but nothing would satisfy him. Why did he become famous? Because in 1964, through his friendship with Fr. Thomas Philippe of the Dominican Order, he felt called by God to begin a home for mentally disabled people in Trosly-Breuil, France not on an ‘institutional’, client-centered, medical or social service model but a ‘community’ model, and that makes all the difference. L’Arche is the French word for “The Ark”, deliberately chosen to signify the life and hope for the human community and creation represented by ‘Noah’s Ark’ in the Holy Bible. In the l’Arche homes the inmates with disabilities and the people who assist them live together as one community irrespective of creed, race, caste etc. Very soon the l’Arche concept spread to different parts of the world including India where the homes are called Asha Niketan (Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai, Kerala, West Bengal). Today l’Arche is an international organization operating 154 communities in 38 countries, and on five continents. What is a l’Arche community? It is a grouping of a number of homes and, in some cases, apartments and day programmes on a regional and national basis.

Jean Vanier was indeed a spiritual giant. In an obituary on him Maggie Fergusson writes: “Those who lived and worked with him spoke of his almost palpable holiness; many considered him a living saint. He was unmoved by such accolades. Profoundly humble, what he longed for was to help people to know and live with Jesus – whom he spoke of as one might of a close friend – and to do so through encounters with the poorest and weakest in society, in particular those with mental disabilities” (cf. Catholic News Update Asia Vol. XII – Issue: 156 – May 16th, 2019).

Here are just few of the precious spiritual gems found in his book “Community and Growth”:

A community is a place of belonging, a place where people are earthed and find their identity. (This is totally different from belonging to gangs, sects, clubs, militant groups and other organizations which are not communities). The very first community to which people belong is the family. When a child feels it does not belong to anyone, it suffers terrible loneliness and anguish which are manifested in adverse effects physically, mentally and spiritually. Loneliness is quickly transformed into terrible feelings of guilt. But when a child is loved, seen as precious, listened to, touched with reverence, then it is at peace. It knows it belongs. It is held, protected and safe. It opens up without fear. The deepest yearning in a child is to be in communion with its mother and father. This is the most fundamental need of every human being, the source of all other needs and desires. If that thirst to belong and to be in communion with another is not satisfied, the pain of anguish rises up and with it feelings of guilt, anger and hate leading to admiration-seeking, or deep depression and revolt or anti-social behaviour. The longer we journey on the road to inner healing and wholeness, the more the sense of belonging grows and deepens. The sense is not just of belonging to others and to a community. It is sense of belonging to the universe, to the earth, to the air, to the water, to everything that lives, to all humanity. If the community gives a sense of belonging, it also helps us to accept our aloneness in a personal meeting with God. Through this, the community is open to the universe and to humankind.

We all belong to the universe; we receive from it and give to it; we are all parts of a whole. The danger for people today is to forget that and to think that they are the centre; that everyone else is there for them. People must die to this form of destructive egoism and be reborn in love, where they learn to receive from others and to give to them.

A community is not simply a group of people who live together and love each other. It is a place of resurrection, a current of life; one heart, one soul, one spirit. It is people, very different one from another, who love each other and who are all reaching towards the same hope of celebrating the same love. This is what brings the special atmosphere of joy and welcome which characterizes the true community (cf. Acts 4:32; Phil. 2:1-2). This atmosphere of joy comes from the fact that everyone feels free to be themselves in the deepest sense. They have no need to play a role, to pretend to be better than the others, to demonstrate prowess in order to be loved. They do not have to hide a whole part of themselves behind barriers and masks. They have to become vulnerable to God. They have discovered that they are loved for themselves, not for their intellectual or manual skills.

The difference between community and a group of friends is that in a community we verbalise our mutual belonging and bonding. We announce the goals and the spirit that unites us. We recognize together that we are responsible for one another. We recognize also that this bonding comes from God; it is a gift from God. It is he who has chosen us and called us together in a covenant of love and mutual caring.

Communities are truly communities when they are open to others, when they remain vulnerable and humble; when the members are growing in love, in compassion and in humility. Communities cease to be such when members close in upon themselves with the certitude that they alone have wisdom and truth and expect everyone to be like them and learn from them.

The fundamental attitudes of true community, where there is true belonging, are openness, welcome, and listening to God, to the universe, to each other and to other communities. Community life is inspired by the universal and is open to the universal. It is based on forgiveness and openness to those who are different, to the poor and the weak. Sects put up walls and barriers out of fear, out of a need to prove themselves and to create a false security. Community is the breaking down of barriers to welcome difference. If community is belonging and openness, it is also loving concern for each person. In other words we could say it is caring, bonding and mission. These three elements define it.

In a community, people are called always to become more. A community comes about when people are no longer hiding from one another, no longer pretending or proving their value to one another. Barriers have come down and they can live together anexperience of communion. This is the ‘miracle’ of community.

In a community, collaboration must find its source in communion. Communion is based on some common inner experience of love; it is the recognition of being one body, one people, called by God to be source of love and peace. Its fulfillment is more in silence than in words, more in celebration than in work. It is an experience of openness and trust that flows from what is innermost in a person; it is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

John of the Cross says that the love of God and the love of people have the same source and the same goal. If people grow in love for others, then they grow in love for God and vice-versa. If they close their hearts to others, then they close their hearts to God. Therefore community life with all its difficulties is a special place for growth.

In every human being there is such a thirst for communion with another, a cry to be loved and understood – not judged or condemned; there is a yearning to be called forth as special and unique. But to have this communion with another involves demands: to come out of one’s shell of protection, to become vulnerable in order to love and understand others, to call them forth as special and unique, to share and to give space and nourishment to them. Community is the place where people grow in love and in peace-making.

The two great dangers of community are ‘friends’ and ‘enemies’. People very quickly get together with those who are like themselves; we all like to be with someone who pleases us, who shares our ideas, ways of looking at life and sense of humour. Such friendship is no longer a spur to grow, to go further, to be of greater service to our brothers and sisters, to be more faithful to the gifts we have been given, more attentive to the Spirit, and to continue walking across the desert to the land of liberation. In community we are called to discover that the ‘enemy’ is a person in pain and that through the ‘enemy’ we are being asked to become aware of our weakness, lack of maturity and inner poverty. Perhaps it is this we refuse to look at. The faults we criticize in others are often those we refuse to face in ourselves.

Love is neither sentimental nor a passing emotion. It is the recognition of a covenant, of a mutual belonging. It is listening to others, being concerned for them and feeling empathy with them. It is to see their beauty and to reveal it to them. It means answering their call and their deepest needs. It means feeling and suffering with them – weeping when they weep, rejoicing when they rejoice. Loving people means being happy when they are there, sad when they are not. It is living in each other, taking refuge in each other. Love is power for unity.

These reflections wereborn out of his experience of living for over twenty-five years in the l’Arche community he founded in 1964 and of visiting the l’Arche communities across the world and of listening to others who live in other sorts of communities. The l’Arche communities are special because they are communities of people who are mentally challenged. The purpose is to help the mentally challenged to grow and reach the greatest independence possible, but before ‘doing something for them’ we have to ‘be with them’. The particular suffering of the person, who is mentally challenged, as of all marginal people, is a feeling of being excluded, worthless and unloved. It is through everyday life in community and the love that must be incarnate in this, that handicapped people can begin to discover that they have a value, that they are loved and so are lovable.

The l’Arche community came to birth in the desire to live the Gospel and to follow Jesus Christ more closely. For Vanier, each day was a lesson on how much Christian life must grow in commitment to life in community, and how much that life needs faith, the love of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit if it is to deepen. It certainly does not mean that there is no community outside Christianity but the message of Jesus invites his disciples to love one another and to live in community in a special way. He emphasized that involvement with the poor is not a vocation for a few. “If you are blind to the poor” he believed, “you become blind to God”. He urged people to start in small ways, by making space in their lives for somebody who is lonely, old, depressed, disabled.

In his ninetieth year, diagnosed with cancer, he wrote, “I am living a time of peace. I would like to live every moment in love without any other project…”

May the life and reflections of Jean Vanier inspire us to build true communities based on the Gospel and which reflect our Trinitarian communion and the presence of God’s kingdom in our midst.

I WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE

At a recent prayer meeting in Delhi Mr. Paul Dhinakaran Jr. narrated the story of his father – the world famous preacher Mr. G.S. Dhinakaran, founder of ‘Jesus Calls Ministries’. Once whilst preaching to a huge audience there was a lady sitting right in front of him, who was very fidgety and didn’t seem to pay any attention to the preacher. She was turning left and right to those sitting by her side in an apparent act of disdain of the preacher and rejection of him. This made Mr. Dhinakaran very angry. Though he was preaching just at that time about God’s love and compassion yet he was experiencing within him terrible anger till he could not control it anymore and shouted at her, “why are you sitting right in front of me if you do not want to listen to what I am saying? Please leave from here immediately and do not distract me”. The lady promptly left from that seat and people helped her to get another seat at the back. At the end of the convention, the lady came up (rather was brought up) to Mr. Dhinakaran. She had lot of apologies and a request for prayer over her. She said she was totally blind in one eye and had very little vision in the other, so she fidgets most of the time due to insecurity. This made the preacher sink. He had misjudged her. He thought she was doing it on purpose. He realized he was the one who was blind and not the lady. He asked for her pardon and cried bitterly for God’s mercy saying, ‘Have mercy on me a sinner O Lord and open my eyes that I may see’, and God healed him of his inner blindness and put him on the course of being a humble, responsible, mature and wholesome person.

Such embarrassing occasions of wrong judgement and distorted interpretation do occur in our life some time or the other. A wrong interpretation influences our emotions in the wrong way and may also lead to wrong actions which we regret later. They tell us how true the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ is when he says: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (Mt 7: 1-2). We will do well to heed the advice of St. Paul :

“Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God” (1Cor 4:5).

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’. To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12: 18-21).

We love to sing that beautiful hymn:
Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now I am found, Was blind but now I see.

This movement from blindness to sight is a daily journey with the Lord, all the work of God’s grace until we reach our eternal home. We have to ask for it and it will be given to us, as the Lord has promised: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Mt. 5:7). The heavenly Father will never deny the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (cf. Lk. 11: 13).

The Gospel begins with a call for repentance and conversion of heart as the gateway to eternal life. There is no other entry point into God’s Kingdom. Every act of repentance leads us from blindness to vision, from darkness to light, from sin to new life, from death to life. Every time we realize our mistake and, without self-defence, want to be renewed in our attitudes we testify that there is life eternal which is greater than our small selves. We affirm the ‘resurrection from the dead and the life of the world to come’. We realize that our small world is not the end and that we don’t live for ourselves alone and for this life alone but for God and his Kingdom – this Kingdom opened for us by Christ through his life, suffering, death, resurrection and the outpouring of the Spirit.

At the very beginning of his ministry Jesus proclaimed that he has come for the “recovering of sight to the blind” (Lk 4:18). The giving of ‘sight to the blind’ was not just the recovery of physical sight but the gift of ‘inner sight’ that testifies to the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. Before healing the blind man Bartimaeus, Jesus first asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And he replied, ‘Rabbi, let me recover my sight’. Jesus told him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well’. On receiving his sight he ‘followed him on the way’ (cf. Mk 10:46-52). One cannot be healed by Jesus and go another way; one has to follow Jesus because faith in Jesus is inner enlightenment. To have faith in Jesus is to know the truth that makes us free. The question that I always need to ask myself is, ‘do I want to be free or do I want to remain shackled by my attitudes, past memories, hurts, prejudices and habits?’

The miracle of the healing of the man born blind as narrated by John makes it very clear that the ‘sight’ Jesus offers us in not only physical but above all ‘spiritual’. Jesus tells the Pharisees who refused to accept the call of the Gospel, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see’, your guilt remains” (Jn 9: 41). To be spiritually blind is worse than to be physically blind.

Jesus opens our eyes to know God our Father who loves us and wants us to love one another as the children of God. He teaches us the path of forgiveness, of humility and meekness, of peace and reconciliation, of childlikeness, of truthfulness, of justice and righteousness, of the ultimate sacrifice of our life for the Gospel. This is to walk the path of new life. Knowing Jesus we cannot remain the same. It is to become a ‘new person’, a ‘new creation’ (cf. 2Cor. 5:17). We know the difference between enslavement and freedom, between decay and freshness, between death and life. It is ours to choose where we want to be. As St. Paul warns us: “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal 6:8).

We have the story of Saul who was breathing out fury against the early Christians determined to annihilate them but when he met the Risen Lord he was brought down from his horse. His eyes opened and he was healed not just of his physical blindness but of his inner blindness. He was no more a man filled with feelings of hatred and violence to destroy the nascent church but with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to spread God’s love and goodness and newness everywhere. Gone were his arrogant boasting and his pharisaic self-assuredness. He realized he was the greatest of all sinners and ever dependent on the mercy of God in all circumstances. In a miraculous and marvelous way the Risen Lord made him his humble but chosen vessel to proclaim everywhere the Good News of God’s Kingdom. Salvation begins when we stop criticizing and judging others but, acknowledging our own mistakes and sinfulness, ask for God’s forgiveness saying, ‘Have mercy on me O Lord for I have sinned’.

One of the marks of holiness of life is to refrain from judging others whether justly or falsely. They say about the Venerable Fr. Agnelo de Souza SFX, one of the first members of the Society of St. Francis Xavier (or Society of Pilar) founded in Goa in 1887, that he would not judge others even when there was reason to do so. “As far as talking about others was concerned, it had become a habit with this man of God not to make remarks about any one. He would not criticize about other people’s shortcomings. He had understood how much even the sinners need to be forgiven… he preached many times of the sin committed with the tongue and used to say: whoever controls the tongue is not only a saint but is perfect… Qui non offendit lingua, hic est perfectus vir i.e. whoever does not offend with his tongue is a perfect man” (cf. A True Man of God: Venerable Fr. Agnelo de Souza by Fr. Sergio Mascarenhas SFX, Xaverian Publications Society, Pilar, Goa, 2013, pp 112-114).

[Born in 1869 he made his final profession in the Society of Pilar in 1908, was appointed spiritual director of the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol, Goa in 1918. He collapsed in the pulpit of the Seminary Church on November 19, 1927 while preaching his sermon on the eve of the traditional feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and died the next day coinciding with the feast – which perhaps was his greatest desire, as his love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus was indeed very great. His cause for beatification is in full swing. This year (2019) marks the 150th anniversary of his birth. The thousands who throng to his tomb at Pilar, Goa is a sign of his powerful intercession before God. May he be for us example and intercessor].

St. James compares the tongue to the rudder of the ancient wind-driven ship which is guided “wherever the will of the pilot directs” (James 3: 5). Therefore the tongue needs to be controlled, otherwise it can be a “small fire” that sets ablaze a whole forest … a restless evil, full of deadly poison” with which “we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God” (James 3: 5-10) i.e. blessing and cursing from the same mouth!

We may add here that what we express with the tongue is first in the mind and in the heart. Therefore we pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10). A pure and clean heart is the mark of the disciple of Christ. He has said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8). When we see God in our hearts we will not pass judgment on any one in any circumstance but always speak good of the other as all the saints have taught us through their example. Ven. Fr. Agnelo de Souza is one of them.

May this season of Eastertide be truly a wonderful experience for us of new life in Christ.

OUR CALL TO HOLINESS

Holiness of life is central to our baptismal calling as disciples of Christ. In all his letters St. Paul constantly reminds us of our new life in Christ realized in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

At our recent meeting of the Regional Catholic Council of the North held at Navinta, New Delhi (March 9-10), we had the privilege of being addressed by Mr. Cyril John, as the main resource person, on the topic “Our Call to Holiness”. [Mr. Cyril John is the founder and current Chairman of the Delhi Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services, member of the international pontifical organization CHARIS and a world-renowned leader of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement rendering his invaluable services at the diocesan, national and international levels].

What follows here is the abridged version of the reflections shared with the RCCN by Mr. Cyril John.

In the Introduction to the Apostolic Exhortation GaudeteetExsultate, Pope Francis says: “He (God) wants us to be saints and not to settle for a bland and mediocre existence. The call to holiness is present in various ways from the very first pages of the Bible. We see it expressed in God’s words to Abraham: “Walk before me, and be blameless” (Gen 17:1). God spoke to Moses, saying, “’Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy’” (Lv. 19:2).

St. Paul insists on our sanctification: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification…” (1 Thess. 4:3); “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love” (Eph 1:4).

Nevertheless, Pope Francis equally emphasizes that the Church, though she is holy, yet is made up of sinners.

Of all the themes that emerge from the documents of the Second Vatican Council, the concept of the universal call to holiness is perhaps one of the most noteworthy. The Council teaches that “all the faithful, whatever their condition or state – though each in his own way – are called by the Lord to that perfection of sanctity by which the Father himself is perfect” (LG 11). Therefore, all Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love. Although the forms and tasks of life are many, holiness is one.

A Saint is not someone who has not sinned, but someone who has been forgiven by God. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “Holiness does not consist in never having erred or sinned. Holiness increases the capacity for conversion, for repentance, for willingness to start again and, especially, for reconciliation and forgiveness…. It is not the fact that we have never erred, but it is our capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness which makes us saints. And we can all learn this way of holiness.” Archbishop Fulton J Sheen has said, “A saint is a recovering sinner.” When we stumble and fall, we are called to get up, dust ourselves off, and continue to embark upon our lifelong pilgrimage to perfection.

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’.” (1 Pet 1:13-16).

In order to become holy, we need to root out the “Cardinal Sins”, the tendencies in us which are very destructive, as other sins are born out of them. They are also called the “Seven Deadly Sins” or “Capital Sins” because they engender other sins. These are stepping stones to greater sins. If these sins could be kept under control, then other sins will be easier to avoid or resist. The following are the seven Cardinal Sins according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1. Pride: It is inordinate love of one’s own excellence, either of body or mind or the unlawful pleasure we derive from thinking we have no superiors. It could be on account of wealth, beauty, caliber, family, position, education, etc. Pride is a serious block to spiritual life. Many are led to destruction on account of pride. “The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord” (Sir 3:18). Jesus tells us, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29). Spiritual pride among those involved in ministry and leadership is a cause of serious concern. It leads to arrogance and lack of submission. We need to keep reminding ourselves that we are following a master who is gentle and humble of heart. Constant effort should be made to eradicate the tendencies of pride that might creep into us from time to time – and God’s grace is never lacking.

2. Greed: Material things are lawful and necessary because they enable us to live according to our situation in life, to mitigate suffering, to advance the Kingdom of God, and to save our souls. It is the pursuit of wealth as an end instead or as a means to the above ends, which makes a man covetous. Greed can be for name, money, position, fame, possessions. It is a disordered desire for worldly goods and attendant power. The Tenth Commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit.

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (Jas 4:1-3). In the parable of the “Rich Fool”, the Lord warns us: “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in abundance of possessions” (Lk 12:15).

3. Anger: It means excessive feeling or expression of displeasure, or desire for revenge. Anger is the biggest block to spiritual life. It is one of the works of the flesh mentioned in Gal. 5:19-21. Accordingly, if we cherish anger, we will not inherit the Kingdom of God. “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (Jas 1:19-20). Jesus said, “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother (or sister) will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire” (Mt 5:22).

“Be angry but do not sin” (Eph 4:26). It is not wrong to be angry in front of a wrongdoing. Anger is not sin under three conditions: (1) If the cause of the anger be just, for example, defence of God’s honour; (2) If it be no greater than the cause demands, that is, if it be kept under control; and (3) If it be quickly subdued: “Let not the sun go down upon your anger” (Eph 4:26).“One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city” (Prov. 16:32).

4. Jealousy/Envy: Envy refers to the sadness at the sight of another’s good and the immoderate desire to acquire it for oneself, even unjustly. It also makes the person forget to thank God for the many gifts he or she has received. St. Gregory the Great said, “from envy are born hatred, detraction, calumny, joy caused by the misfortune of a neighbour, and displeasure caused by his prosperity.” When we wish grave harm to a neighbour it is a mortal sin. “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (Jas 3:16). Envy will not make us any richer, more popular or more satisfied. According to Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “What rust is to iron, what moths are to wool, what termites are to wood, that envy is to the soul: the assassination of brotherly (and sisterly) love.” Envy will turn out to be a serious block in the spiritual growth and ministry of God’s chosen ones. It leads to the decay of the soul. If we sincerely wish to grow in holiness, we need to root out envy. Let us empty ourselves of envy that the Lord may fill us with many more graces and blessings

5. Laziness/Sloth: It is laziness of mind and body. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it is a form of depression due to lax ascetical practice, decreasing vigilance and carelessness of heart (cf. CCC 2733). Laziness comes when we do not value or do not use well the time we have. It is physical when it manifests itself in laziness, procrastination, idleness, softness and indifference. It is spiritual when it shows itself in an indifference to character betterment, distaste for the spiritual, a hurried crowding of devotions, and failure to cultivate new virtue. Sloth is a kind of spiritual laziness.“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest” (Prov. 6:6-7). St Paul tells us: “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat…” (2 Thes 3:10-12).

6. Gluttony: It is an inordinate indulgence in eating or drinking and may manifest itself either in taking more than is necessary, or in taking it at the wrong time, or in taking it too luxuriously. It is sinful because reason demands that food and drink be taken for the necessities and conveniences of nature but not for pleasure alone. It is body-centered love. It relates not only to food, but an excess of anything. “Their end is destruction; their god is their belly; and they glory in their shame; with minds set on earthly things” (Phil 3:19).

7. Lust: It is the self-destructive drive for pleasure out of proportion to its worth. It does not include the legitimate sexual pleasures that are permitted in the context of the Sacrament of Matrimony. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes (cf. CCC 2351). Husband-wife relationship has to be motivated by love and not lust. Lust is selfishness or perverted love. It looks not so much to the good of the other, as to the pleasure of self. It subordinates the other to self for the sake of pleasure. “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom 8:6-8). Our Lady told Jacinta at Fatima "More souls go to Hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason."

“For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world” (1 Jn 2: 16). 1 John 2:16 distinguishes three kinds of covetousness: (1) the desire of the flesh, (2) the desire of the eyes, and (3) the pride in riches. Lust of the eyes is the fastest growing addiction today. Lust of the eyes leads to uncontrolled viewing and reading of things that appease the senses. It is the root cause of several vices leading to the doom of many a soul and is a serious impediment to the spiritual growth of several people. The question is: “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?”(Prov. 6:27).
The Word of God teaches us: “Flee from sin as from a snake; for if you approach sin, it will bite you. Its teeth are lion’s teeth, destroying human souls” (Sir 21:2).
In a story of a poisonous snake asking a boy to carry him up and down a hill on the promise of not biting him, the snake finally bit the boy. When the boy cried out and wailed, “Why did you bite me? I thought you were my friend?” the snake hissed, “I am a snake. A snake is a snake. And the snake bites.”
We need to be on our guard against the “Cardinal Sins” that destroy us spiritually. God’s grace works miracles when we trust in the power of the Cross to heal us and make us whole. Our progress on the path of holiness is a process of INNER HEALING wherein we cry aloud “with his wounds we are healed” (Is. 53:5). Trusting in his mercy and love we will realize how one by one the “Cardinal Sins” are overcome.
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (Josh 3:5).

TIME TO SHARE

Is there a special time in the liturgical calendar of the Church calling us to share generously our resources with the poor and needy? We would certainly say it’s Christmas, and we are right because it begins there, but it doesn’t stop there. What began at Christmas with the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ finds its fulfillment in his suffering, death and resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This great mystery of our redemption we celebrate during the Season of Lent which we usher in on Ash Wednesday and bring to culmination on Easter Sunday. This year the two dates are, March 6 and April 21.

It is the Season of Lent with its message of joyful self-denial, costly discipleship and glorious new life of Easter that invites us to generously contribute for the “Campaign against Hunger and Disease” of the Church in India always spearheaded by Caritas India. The work of this social organization of the Church in India may be a drop in the ocean but, however small that drop may be, it counts because drops make the ocean.

The theme for 2019 is “Nutrition I Our Right: Unite for a Healthy India”. The explanatory note says: “Malnutrition is a painful and disgraceful scourge on humanity. Despite producing sufficient to feed her citizens, India continues to be one of the highest-ranking countries in the world for the number of children and anemic women suffering from malnutrition. The country has unacceptably high levels of malnutrition with 38.4% of children stunted and 35.8% of children underweight… Malnutrition is a debilitating condition that weakens a child’s immune system and raises mortality rates of children from common diseases. Malnutrition as an outcome of abject poverty and inequality does irreversible damage to both individuals and society and increases the disease burden on families and governments”.

The reason for this sad state of affairs is human callousness, selfishness and greed that make us indifferent to the plight of the poor, the downtrodden, the marginalised. To be indifferent to the sufferings of the poor is to pave one’s way to eternal damnation as Our Lord so powerfully narrates in the parable “The Rich Man and Lazarus” (Lk. 16: 19-31). The rich man was condemned to eternal torments not because his wealth was ill-gotten but he was indifferent to the plight of poor Lazarus lying outside his door and who “desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores” (v. 21). Sometimes when we hold power, wealth, positions and security here on earth we think we have achieved the ultimate; our earthly position intoxicates us and we foolishly fail to realize that earthly glory is passing; we forget eternity. Our Lord has clearly taught that in eternity “many that are first will be last, and the last first” (Mt. 19: 30). Therefore his words of truth to us: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mt. 6: 19-21).

Many opportunities will be provided to us during the days of Lent to ponder on God’s Word which leads to eternal life and conversion of heart which, in other words we call “repentance” i.e. returning to the Lord with all our heart and soul, body and mind because we have recognized the moment of grace. The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ always leads us to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Mt. 6: 33), to know the truth that “will make you free” (Jn. 8: 32), to live by the “wisdom from above” (James 3: 16).

Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit the first Christians understood the wisdom of the Cross and Resurrection when they began to be of “one heart and soul”, and “no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common”, when “with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4: 32-33). And the immediate result was: “There was not a needy person among them” (v.34). The greatest proof that Christ has redeemed us from the clutches of the Evil One is our becoming more and more selfless and altruistic, and less and less selfish, individualistic, greedy and acquisitive.

When we generously share our resources to lift up those who are poor and needy we work to realize God’s kingdom here on earth as envisioned by Our Lord Jesus Christ. He came to give us life and “life in all its fullness” (Jn. 10:10). Therefore, there cannot be fullness of life when some people are hungry, malnourished and prey to sickness and disease due to poverty and hunger and others enjoy the goods and luxuries of life. The Church has the mission to play a catalyzing and mobilizing role in human society so that communities express sufficient humanity and solidarity to feed the poor and the hungry.

The compassion of Christ has to be relived and experienced in everyone’s life in order to wipe out the blot of hunger and malnutrition in society. Malnutrition is a dehumanization of “God’s image and likeness” (cf. Gen. 1:26) and clear sign that sin rules the hearts of people; but Christ has conquered sin and death and given us new life so that we are freed of all bondages to build up a society where we care for one another in love and share our resources to ensure proper nourishment, health and opportunities to all. We are happy that the United Nations has pledged to free the world from hunger by 2030 by achieving food security and improved nutrition to the poor and needy. This will be a great step forward in building a world firmly established on egalitarian principles of profound humanity.

Explaining the theme Caritas India firmly believes that the “fight against malnutrition and hunger can succeed only with a multi-sectoral strategy covering agriculture, social protection, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), nutrition-sensitive health care, education, nutrition interventions and initiatives that enable the empowerment of women and balanced physical growth of infants and children”. This is a common endeavour not only of the government but of all citizens in which civil society “needs to double its commitment to help communities participate more meaningfully in improving the functionality of public health and nutrition systems and make the duty bearers truly accountable”.

Moreover, the primary nourishment and sustenance function in the society is held by the family. Hence “food and nutrition security arrangements must start at home” which means families “need to produce food as much as they can and as locally and healthily as they can”. Therefore, “education on hygienic and healthy food should start at home along with the lessons on personal hygiene”.

The Lenten “Campaign against Hunger and Disease” calls for common efforts and immense human solidarity in understanding the problems and finding solutions to them. In the Church the Holy Eucharist always stands as the centre of the Church’s life and mission because it is the memorial of our redemption in Christ and the mission he has entrusted to the Church. Precisely because of our faith in Christ, the Eucharist stands for the communion we share in the Holy Trinity and our communion with each other. It is the sacrament par excellence of our love, solidarity and care for one another as the first Christian community has shown. The Eucharist embodies the Life, Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Pentecost – commonly called the Paschal Mystery. In this mystery we celebrate the salvation of the world and how we have been transferred from the kingdom of sin, darkness and death to the kingdom of truth, light and life.

The famous ecumenical document (1982) called “Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry” (BEM) puts it beautifully:

“The eucharist embraces all aspects of life. It is a representative act of thanksgiving and offering on behalf of the whole world. The Eucharistic celebration demands reconciliation and sharing among all those regarded as brothers and sisters in the one family of God and is a constant challenge in the search for appropriate relationships in social, economic and political life (Mt. 5;23f; 1Cor. 10:16f.; 1Cor. 11: 20-22; Gal. 3;28). All kinds of injustice, racism, separation and lack of freedom are radically challenged when we share in the body and blood of Christ…The eucharist shows us that our behaviour is inconsistent in face of the reconciling presence of God in human history: we are placed under continual judgement by the persistence of unjust relationships of all kinds in our society, the manifold divisions on account of human pride, material interest and power politics and, above all, the obstinacy of unjustifiable confessional oppositions within the body of Christ.” (No.20).

United in the Eucharist let us join Caritas India’s Lenten Campaign 2019 against hunger and disease and express our solidarity and commitment to wipe out malnutrition and to ensure adequate nutritious and healthy food for all our sisters and brothers of our country.

The Archdiocese of Delhi, through Chetanalaya, is specifically focusing on “fight against cancer” in 2019. We wish to adopt 5 villages in the Mewat district of Haryana, where the incidence of cancer is on the rise.

May this Lent 2019 be a spiritually rich and joyful journey with the Lord to know him and the power of his resurrection.

SHARING THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL

Joy is always infectious. When we are joyful we want to share it with others or rather it radiates by itself since it can never remain bottled up. Our inner joy always manifests itself in our relationships, attitudes and behaviour. Of all the joys in our life our encounter with Christ is the greatest treasure we could ever attain in this life; therefore the Gospel is always the Good News of Joy. With this in mind Pope Francis titled his Apostolic Exhortation of 2013 “The Joy of the Gospel” (Evangelii Gaudium). There is a reason for this. As disciples of Christ we are called to be joyful people all the time radiating the joy of Christ in us, who has promised: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full“ (Jn. 15:11). Joy is a divine gift indicating the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The ever smiling face of Pope Francis speaks volumes of the joy of the Gospel that should fill our hearts and overflow to others.

When Jesus was born the angel announced the good news to the shepherds in these words: “I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2: 11). What is the purpose of this joy? Because a Saviour is born to us – Christ our Lord who will free us, not politically, but from the clutches of the Evil One and the power of sin so that we can live in the freedom of the children of God (cf. Jn 1: 12-13). This was long ago prophesied by all the Prophets, and the passage we read on Christmas night (Is. 9: 1-4) points to Christ our Lord who has taken away the oppression of sin from our shoulders and broken the yoke that burdens us, he has transferred us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, from the kingdom of death to the kingdom of life. When this great mystery of eternal life has been revealed to us beyond all our imagining and beyond all petty “freedoms” human beings look for, we have to sing and dance for joy because nobody ever in human history has achieved this for us except Jesus Christ Our Lord who has saved humankind from the power of death through his own suffering and death on the cross and the victory of the Resurrection.

Pope Francis says, “The Joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew” (Evangelii Gaudium, 1). Can I make this the touchstone of my Christian life and of my responsibility to spread everywhere the joy of Christ?

To be a child of God is to live the joyful life of the Holy Spirit which always translates into thoughts, words and deeds of grace and truth. These are gifts we have received from Christ: “And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1: 16-17). Christ our Lord is the fount of living waters that never dries up. We refresh our souls at this fountain, and we when we are refreshed we spread freshness everywhere, not filth, dankness and putridness. That is what Christian discipleship is all about.

St. John in his Gospel describes so powerfully how Jesus is “grace and truth” as he goes along proclaiming the message of the Kingdom of God. Defying the Law which enslaves and oppresses, he heals, he forgives, he gives life, he shows compassion, he gives the commandment of love, he washes the feet of his disciples, he suffers and dies for us and rises again on the third day to be our Way, Truth and Life, our Resurrection and our Life. Our faith is not in any human philosophy but in the very person of Christ whom God has made “our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1Cor. 1:30).

St. Paul mentions the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (cf. Gal. 5: 22-23). These gifts flow from our consecration to Christ in baptism and they define our Christian life. He contrasts these with the works of the flesh – immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing and the like (cf. Gal. 5:19-21). We have to constantly examine our lives and ask ourselves which is the spirit that directs us and determines our behaviour – the Spirit of Christ or the spirit of the flesh?

When the Spirit of Christ directs us we will always rejoice and be free from any kind of anxiety, there will be thanksgiving in our hearts always as we place all our prayers and petitions before God, singing hymns and psalms of praise and thankfulness to God. Thus attuned to God we will experience the immense peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding and which is the clear testimony of the presence of the Holy Spirit in us.

One who lives in the peace of Christ lives the freedom Christ has won for us as our Saviour and Lord – freedom from the fear of repentance, from the fear of forgiveness and reconciliation, from the fear self-sacrificing love, from the fear of being humble and meek, from the fear of being kind, compassionate and merciful, from the fear of being a peacemaker, from the fear of being childlike, from the fear of being a servant, from the fear of persecution in the cause of right, from the fear of suffering and death.

This is the joy of the Gospel that impels us to share the Good News of the salvation with everyone so that God’s Kingdom may come, and come soon.

At the recently concluded Plenary Assembly of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India in Chingelput, Chennai (January 7-14, 2019) the Bishops focused on our Christian vocation to be vehicles and instruments of the joy of the Gospel as the Holy Father Pope Francis exhorts us. We do this in so many ways in our daily life – families, associations, apostolates, institutions, movements, prayer & worship, and even martyrdom. This has been the evangelizing work of the Church from the day of Pentecost – sharing the Good News of our salvation in Christ until he comes again in power and glory to judge heaven and earth.

We also have to admit our failures in not being faithful to the Gospel all the time and lacking eagerness to proclaim the Gospel because of our insular and comfort-seeking attitudes that keep us so much confined to our own little world and its petty concerns. This applies equally, and even more, to Bishops as much as to others in the Church. Hence a constant process of renewal is needed to make us joyful and courageous evangelizers despite all challenges.

These words of St. Paul to Timothy have to be always kept in mind: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching… As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry” (2Tim. 4:1-5).

Again St. Paul says, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1Cor. 9:16). Every baptized person is obliged to joyfully preach, practice and propagate the Gospel in all circumstances.

The Church’s identity is to be the seed, servant and sacrament of the Kingdom of God, announcing through her words, works and witness the “fullness of life” offered by Christ (Jn. 10:10). Pope Francis reminds us of the personal call for mission. Each one of us not only ‘has’ a mission but also ‘is’ a mission: “I am a mission on this earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world. We have to regard ourselves as sealed, even branded, by this mission of bringing light, blessing, enlivening, raising up, healing and freeing” (Evangelii Gaudium, 273).

All our ministries will be effective only if they spring out of a personal and loving relationship with Jesus Christ through a life of daily prayer and contemplation. Thus keeping in mind the demands of our Christian discipleship the CCBI Bishops appeal to:

All the Faithful – to remember that, being “temples of the Holy Spirit” (1Cor. 6:19) they are called to make the world a better place to live in by their love for God, overflowing into selfless deeds for justice, peace, harmony and care of God’s creation.

Christian Families – to recall their vocation to be ‘domestic church, called to be holy and happy, always bearing the Good News at home, in the neighbourhood, in places of study and work, by loving and serving all.

Youth – to stay creative in mind, loving at heart, and lively in their steps to joyfully follow the way of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Clergy & Religious – to shun every form of clericalism and careerism and to strive to be faithful to their vocation so as to effectively reveal the merciful and joyful face of Jesus to all people, especially the poorest of the poor.

Firmly founded on the promise of our Lord, “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt. 28: 20), let us go ahead courageously to be joyful proclaimers of the Good News of our salvation in Christ exclaiming with St. Paul, “I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).

PROPHETIC INTERCESSION

Prophetic Intercession is the need of the hour in our country and throughout the world, so I thought we could begin the New Year 2019 with a reflection on this topic which forms an indispensable part of our Christian life.

I read the book, Prophetic Intercession – A response to the signs of the time by Cyril John (New Delhi: NCO Publications, 2018) released recently. Being one of the most prominent and gifted laymen in our Archdiocese in the field of charismatic renewal Mr. Cyril John does not require any introduction. He is the founder of the Delhi Charismatic and Renewal Services with its headquarters at Jeevan Jyoti Ashram, Burari and has been directing training courses on intercession in different parts of the world in his capacity as one of the most resourceful leaders of the charismatic renewal movement nationally and internationally. This is his second book on the topic of intercession.

According to Concise Oxford Dictionary, intercession is a “prayer or petition on behalf of another”. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “prayer of intercession consists in asking on behalf of another” (CCC 2647). “Intercession is a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did. He is the one intercessor with the Father on behalf of all men, especially sinners” (CCC 2634).

The ministry of Jesus started with 40 days of prayer and fasting. It continued to be soaked in prayer. Before choosing the 12 disciples, Jesus spent the whole night in prayer (Lk 6:12-13). Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith might not fail (Lk. 22:31-32). Jesus prayed for more labourers (Mt 9:37-38). He interceded for the whole world and thus for each one of us (Jn 17:6-26). Jesus atoned for the sins of all mankind through his passion and death on the cross (Rom 4:25). That was the greatest act of intercession by Jesus. Even on the cross Jesus prayed for his enemies (Lk 23:34). “But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises” (Heb 8:6). St Paul tells us that Jesus who is seated at the right hand of God is indeed interceding for us (Rom 8:34). This is because he “desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4).

St. Paul accords top priority to intercession: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim 2:1-2). According to St. Paul everyone is called to intercede. And we are to intercede for everyone. In a special way we are to intercede for those in authority that we may be able to live a life of peace and godliness. If we take this exhortation seriously, we would soon realize the reason why we are not able to live in peace and godliness in the present time. We feel very disturbed to see the decline in faith, perversion, materialism and growing influence of powers of darkness around us. It is because we have failed to take intercession with the seriousness it deserves.

Intercession should be the detonator and the prime mover of all our initiatives. The horse needs to be put before the cart. The success of our ministry will depend on the extent to which we intercede for our projects, programs and the people we reach out to. Pope John Paul II emphasized the role of intercession for effective evangelization: “Prayer should accompany the journey of missionaries so that the proclamation of the Word will be effective through God’s grace” (RedemptorisMissio 78). The greatest need of today is to intercede for the Church and its mission in the world. Something that all of us can do is intercession. And it is the greatest thing that we could do as taught by St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus.

What is prophetic intercession? In intercession we need to keep our eyes fixed on what is moving in the heart of God. The intercessor becomes the trusted aide, the lieutenant of God. Therefore, God reveals His mind to the intercessor. To be prophetic is to interpret what is moving in the heart of God. The Hebrew word for ‘prophet’ when translated literally means ‘spokesperson’. “I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command” (Deut18:18). The prophet actually becomes an intermediary between God and His people. Therefore, we consider a prophet as the one who speaks to people on behalf of God, a spokesperson of God. But the Biblical concept of the prophet is wider. “The Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). The first action by Abraham after the Lord spoke to him was not “prophesying” but interceding for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah under the judgment of God (Gen 18:16-33). Gen 20:7: “…for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live”. It shows that a very important role of the prophet is also to make intercession for the people in accordance with the plan of God. Basically, intercession is one of the important roles of a prophet.

Intercession identifies with the needs and burdens of the people, whereas prophetic intercession identifies with the burdens of the Lord. Prophetic intercession is not coming to the Lord with a prayer list but coming to the Lord to get a prayer list. In prophetic intercession we become like the chisel in the hands of the sculptor. By itself the chisel does nothing, but when the sculptor takes it and uses it left and right, giving it the right direction, the chisel is able to bring out a master piece. So is prophecy on our knees! Therefore, what is meant by prophetic intercession is intercession in conformity with the burdens which are upon God’s heart. For this we need to discern what is moving in the heart of God and regulate our intercession accordingly. This is different from praying a prayer list according to our own understanding of what to pray and how to pray. In other words, in prophetic intercession we invite God to lead and direct our prayers.

The scope and efficacy of prayer gets restricted when it is guided by our own understanding. Fidelity to God’s will is a necessary precondition for the prayers to be answered. “You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly…” (Jas 4:3). “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this” (Rev. 4:1). We need to move according to the vision the Lord gives us. The move of the intercessor has to be prophetic. The prophetic vision makes intercession truly missionary. Hence, we have to wait on God to discern His will. God has a definite plan for our intercession – what we should pray for and how we should pray. We should walk into that plan. We need to be appointed by God. We need to move in the power of the Holy Spirit so that He makes use of us in the right way.

In our lives, we are continually surrounded and bombarded by the forces of the world, the flesh and the devil. As a result, it is often difficult for people to be and do good. We need to pray that the walls of corruption, division and disunity in the Church, community and nation be pulled down. There are many needs that could be the object of our prayer! The Lord is looking for people to stand between Him and such walls (ref Ezek 22:30).

The Delhi Diocesan Service Team has been organizing Jericho March every year for seven consecutive months starting from July. About 100 to 140 intercessors volunteer to do the Jericho March each year with lots of spiritual preparation. They begin at 8 am in the morning in the Cathedral premises starting with confession and the Holy Eucharist. Thereafter, the participants board two or three buses and travel around the city singing, praising and intercession through the Holy Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, litany to all saints, stations of the cross, etc. During the Jericho Prayer they pray for the Church, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, the nation and the city. They conclude the Jericho Prayer at about 5.30 pm with a prayer of thanksgiving at the Cathedral premises from where they started. Each year the Jericho Prayer concludes in the eighth month with 40 hours-adoration and intercession by the participants.

In Acts 12:1-19 we find that when Peter was in prison the whole church prayed day and night for him. It is encouraging to find that there is a growing enthusiasm today among Christians to pray for others. Let us, therefore, put our priorities right. Let us start praying for all in authority – in political, secular and spiritual leadership – and for the whole world. It is a praying Church that is going to make the difference!

May 2019 testify to the power of prayer in our life, individually and collectively.

THE SPIRITUAL LEGACIES OF OSCAR ROMERO & POPE PAUL VI

On October 14, 2018, during the Synod for the Youth, Pope Francis declared Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who died a martyr for social justice in 1980, and Pope Paul VI, who died at the Vatican on August 6, 1978 after a fifteen-year pontificate, Saints of the One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Another five were also canonized on the same day, viz. Vincent Romano, Franceso Spinelli, Nunzio Sulprizio, Nazaria Ignacia March Mesa, and Maria Katharina Kasper. With this declaration they are for us models of Christian discipleship in its various dimensions but above all they are our intercessors in heaven along with Mary our Blessed Mother so that we never lack the power of the Holy Spirit to live an authentic Christian life of fidelity to the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ and be witnesses of God’s Kingdom here on earth. This is how we understand the mystery of our communion with the Saints. The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) of Vatican Council II teaches (LG 50):

“The Church has always believed that the apostles and Christ’s martyrs, who gave the supreme witness of faith and charity by the shedding of their blood, are closely united with us in Christ; she has always venerated them, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the holy angels, with a special love, and has asked piously for the help of their intercession. Soon there were added to these others who had chosen to imitate more closely the viginity and poverty of Christ, and still others whom outstanding practice of the Christian virtues and the wonderful graces of God recommended to the pious devotion and imitation of the faithful.”

“To look on the life of those who have faithfully followed Christ is to be inspired with a new reason for seeking the city which is to come (cf. Heb. 13:14 and 11:10), while at the same time we are taught to know a most safe path by which, despite the vicissitudes of the world, and in keeping with the state of life and condition proper to each of us, we will be able to arrive at perfect union with Christ, that is holiness. God shows to men (sic), in a vivid way, his presence and his face in the lives of those companions of ours in the human condition who are more perfectly transformed into the image of Christ (cf. 2Cor. 3:18). He speaks to us in them and offers us a sign of this kingdom, to which we are powerfully attracted, so great a cloud of witnesses is there given (cf. Heb. 12:1) and such a witness to the truth of the Gospel”.

Pope Francis, in his homily, very beautifully summed up the radical nature of the Christian vocation when he said:

“Jesus is radical. He gives all and he asks all; he gives a love that is total and asks for an undivided heart. He gives himself to us as living bread; can we give crumbs in exchange? All these saints, in different contexts, put today’s word into practice in their lives, without lukewarmness, without calculation, with the passion to risk everything and to leave it all behind. May the Lord help us to imitate their example.”

Oscar Romero, who was beatified in 2015 in El Salvador, was the Archbishop of San Salvador the capital of El Salvador. He was shot while celebrating Mass on March 24, 1980, during the birth of a civil war between leftist guerilla forces and the dictatorial government of the right. Placing his faith in the Risen Lord and the power of his Gospel he was an outspoken critic of the violence and injustices being committed at that time on the poor and the marginalised. Very soon he was hailed as a martyr, in fact first by the Church of England even before the Catholic Church could officially consider his sacrifice as “martyrdom”. He was killed in hatred of his Christian faith because it was his unflinching faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ that wouldn’t permit him to keep silent in the face of such blatant violation of human rights.

Referring to him Pope Francis said: “Oscar Romero left the security of the world, even his own safety, in order to give his life according to the Gospel, close to the poor and to his people, with a heart drawn to Jesus and his brothers and sisters… Let us ask ourselves where we are in our story of love with God. Do we content ourselves with a few commandments or do we follow Jesus as lovers, really prepared to leave behind something for him?”

Pope Paul VI was beatified by Pope Francis on October 19, 2014 at the end of the Extraordinary Synod on Family. After four years the Pope had the joy of canonizing his predecessor with these words: “Pope St. Paul VI spent his life for Christ’s Gospel, crossing new boundaries and becoming its witness in proclamation and in dialogue, a prophet of a Church turned outwards, looking to those far away and taking care of the poor”.

So many people in India, particularly Mumbai, still cherish their beautiful memories of the visit of Pope Paul VI to Mumbai from December 2-5, 1964 for the 38th Eucharistic Congress under the leadership of Valerian Cardinal Gracias, the then Archbishop of Mumbai – the first visit of a Pope to India.

Pope Paul VI arrived in India as a “Pilgrim of Peace and Love” and especially during the progress of the Second Vatican Council when the Catholic Church was in the crucial process of renewing her understanding on several issues ad extra such as relationship with different faiths and ideologies in a pluralistic context, the indispensable need for inter-faith dialogue, the meaning of mission, the Church’s response to the realities of the modern world, all of which are of course indispensably related to the life of the Church ad intra such as liturgy, nature of the Church, ecumenism, ordained ministry, charism of consecrated life, role of laity etc. which are all part of the comprehensive renewal put in motion by the Second Vatican Council. His visit was very symbolic for the course the Catholic Church would take in the years to follow and which is the kairos we are experiencing today. He was oversaw much of the Second Vatican Council opened by Pope John XXIII, and brought it to completion in 1965. We remember his sonorous Jai Hind several times in his address before he left our soil, perhaps the first time a Pope has ever uttered a word in Hindi.

The Rite of the Mass we follow today in the Latin Church was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969 as a result of the much needed liturgical renewal brought about by the Council. Some aspects of this renewal we already observe in the gestures of the Pope during his public Mass in Mumbai – a gradual change from the strict Tridentine Rite.

Pope Paul VI was the first Pope to undertake pastoral visits to different parts of the Universal Church to bring healing and hope in divided situations and affirm the believers in their faith and mission. He will be remembered for his humility and unassuming style of exercising his papal authority. One unforgettable event was the moment when he knelt down and kissed the feet of Patriarch Meliton of Chalcedon in 1965 representing Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople on the visit of the Constantinopolitan delegation to Rome. This was a gesture of reparation for some of the mistakes committed by the Church of Rome towards the Church of Constantinople in the middle ages and which led to the schism of 1054 A.D.

Pope Paul VI is most widely remembered for his landmark encyclical Humanae Vitae, which was published in 1968 and which reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s teaching on contraception in the wake of the sexual revolution. There was much negative reaction to this document from many quarters and it is said that the Pope never wrote any encyclical after that because he was a person of deep sensitivity.

Let me conclude with the words of Pope Francis in his homily during the canonization of the seven new Saints of Mother Church:

“Today Jesus invites us to return to the source of joy, which is the encounter with him, the courageous choice to risk everything to follow him, the satisfaction of leaving something behind in order to embrace his way. The saints have travelled this path… Let us ask for the grace always to leave things behind for love of the Lord: to leave behind wealth, the yearning for status and power, structures that are no longer adequate for proclaiming the Gospel, those weights that slow down our mission, the strings that tie us to the world… Without a leap forward in love, our life and our Church become sick from complacency and self-indulgence… The problem is on our part: our having too much, our wanting too much suffocates our hearts and makes us incapable of loving”.

Let this message resound in our hearts as we celebrate Christmas and encounter our Saviour born in the poverty of the manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes while the angels sing the song of peace to the world. Why?

THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
As we are nearing the Solemnity of Christ the King and standing on the threshold of a new liturgical year it would be appropriate to ask the Lord for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit with his gifts from above, but let us dwell on the seven-fold gifts poured on us at Baptism and confirmed in the Sacrament of Confirmation. These are given to all disciples of Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ.

With the spread of the Charismatic Movement in the Church the focus has shifted in the direction of the special charisms of the Holy Spirit such as healing, exorcism, prophecy, talking in tongues etc. but the more foundational charisms of the Holy Spirit given to everyone at Baptism and confirmed and completed at Confirmation have often been forgotten. If these are forgotten – as so many times it happens – there is always the danger of the abuse of the other gifts of the Holy Spirit since the Holy Spirit never takes back the gifts given.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds all believers that the rite of anointing with the sacred chrism has a rich significance in the Christian tradition rooted in the Bible itself. Oil is a sign of abundance and joy, it cleanses and limbers, it is a sign of healing and it makes a person radiant with beauty, health and strength. In the sacramental life of the Church anointing has all these meanings but above all the anointing with the sacred chrism is a sign of consecration – in Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination to the Priesthood and Ordination to the Episcopate. Of course Ordination is anointing for a special ministry within the Church meant for a few but the anointing in Baptism and Confirmation is for all who are called to be disciples of Christ and witnesses of the Good News. Therefore those confirmed “share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled, so that their lives may give off ‘the aroma of Christ”’ (2Cor. 2:15). By this anointing the confirmed receive the “mark” or the “seal” of the Holy Spirit which means they are declared to be “owned” by the Holy Spirit and act in His authority. St. Paul says: “It is God who… has put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2Cor. 1:21-22). The sealing in the Holy Spirit “marks our total belonging to Christ, our enrollment in his service for ever, as well as the promise of divine protection in the great eschatological trial” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1296). To be anointed in the Holy Spirit is to be conformed to Christ himself who came anointed in the Holy Spirit and marked with the Father’s seal (cf. Jn. 6:27). The words “messiah” and “Christ” mean “the anointed one”. Confirmation completes Baptism and is given only once. It imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark which is called the “character” and is a sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness. “This ‘character’ perfects the common priesthood of the faithful, received in Baptism, and the confirmed person receives the power to profess faith in Christ publicly and as it were officially” (CCC 1268).

The seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit have their origin in the Bible (cf. Is. 11:2) and in the Apostolic Tradition so well expounded by the Fathers of the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes the words of St. Ambrose: “Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God’s presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts” (cf. CCC 1303). These are exactly the words pronounced by the Bishop or delegated priest in the Rite of Confirmation.

Brief Explanation of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit (provided by Rev. Dr. Manikya Raju, the Director of Catechetics in the Archdiocese of Delhi)

1. The Gift of WisdomWisdom is the most perfect of all the gifts. Like charity which embraces all virtues, wisdom embodies all the other gifts. Of wisdom it is written, “all good things came to me with her, and innumerable riches through her hands”. It is the gift of wisdom that strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish things divine, in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savour, whilst the Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness according to the words of the Saviour: “Take up thy cross and follow me, for my yoke is sweet and my burden light”.

2. The Gift of Understanding The gift of understanding helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our faith. We learn to appreciate them and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to “walk worthy of God in all things pleasing, and increasing in the knowledge of God”

3. The Gift of Right Judgment or Counsel The gift of right judgment or counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must be done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by knowledge and understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. “Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that he may direct thy way in truth”.

5. The Gift of Fortitude or Courage The gift of fortitude strengthens the soul against natural fear, and supports it to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to undertake without hesitation the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample underfoot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. “He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved”.

6. The Gift of Reverence or Piety The gift of reverence or piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect, for His sake, persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority; to venerate our Blessed Mother and the Saints; to love, respect and obey the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers etc. He who is filled with the gift of reverence finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labour.

7. The Gift of Fear of God The gift of fear of God fills us with sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our Heavenly Father. It is a fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. “They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls”.
The seven-fold gifts are foundational to the unity of the Church as the one Body of Christ. The more we enter into this unfathomable mystery of the Holy Trinity the more we will realize our calling in the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Christ to the ends of the earth and till the end of time until he returns in power and glory. May the solemnity of Christ the King make us deeply aware of our mission.

The Seven - Step Gospel sharing – Heart of Small Christian Community

At a recent Colloquium for Bishops on Small Christian Communities held at Pune (September 17-20) I had the good fortune of participating in a SCC meeting of the St. Jude's Neighbourhood unit of St. Xavier's Parish, Camp. It was such a memorable experience of members from different linguistic and socio-economic backgrounds sitting and mingling together in one united fellowship and sharing the Gospel in Hindi, English, Tamil and Konkani, and amazingly all seemed to understand each other like the early Christian community filled with the power of the Holy Spirit! I just couldn't believe my eyes and ears at what I was seeing and hearing. This was certainly a miracle of the Small Christian Community witnessing to the presence of the Risen Lord in their midst — and the children and youth were as "anointed" as the elders. The task they set for themselves at the end of the meeting was to visit the people who do not attend the meetings and enquire from them the reasons for staying away so that the hurdles, if any, could be removed. This was suggested by a young boy in the community and readily accepted by all. There was the solemn enthronement of the Holy Bible and wonderful animation through the seven-step method of Gospel Sharing.
In the recent decades one of the most beautiful happenings in the Church is the formation of the Small Christian Communities in which the People of God actively participate. The true understanding of the mystery of the Church as communion and which became the hallmark of Vatican Council II is practically realized in the Small Christian Community. The Small Christian Community at the grassroots level presents the most basic reality of the Church. The members are bound together in the Lord by the Word of God expressing their unity in inter-personal relationships and a sense of belongingness. The members of the community share the Word of God and integrate it into their daily lives and proclaim it to others. Like the early Christian Community (cf. Act 2:44-47; Acts 4: 32-35) it is in the basic community that the Church becomes tangible and experiential. Therefore the Small Christian Community can even he termed the "microcosm" of the Church. It is not a sect but indeed the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church in the neighbourhood.
All the Small Christian Communities in a Parish are in communion with each other and together form the Parish Community; and all the Parishes form the Diocese and all the Dioceses the Universal Church. At every step of the way the unity of the Church is realized in the Eucharist, the Word and Mission.
Our Christian life is essentially marked by an encounter with Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who calls us to follow him. The Word of God is the basis for this encounter and of our spiritual life. Holiness happens only when we are personally committed to Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Bishop Ignatius Mascarenhas of the Diocese of Simla-Chandigarh who is also the Chairman for the National Service Team of the CCBI for the Small Christian Communities beautifully explained the Seven-Step Gospel Sharing Method which is the essence of the Small Christian Community. The Word of God and the SCC are essentially interwoven making possible the renewal of the Church in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is the greatest treasure of the Church and this treasure is the Risen Lord himself who comes fully alive in and through the proclamation and sharing of the Word of God by the community.
If there is no Gospel Reflection and Gospel Sharing there is always the danger that Christian activities can take a turn that is not in accord with the values and principles of the Gospel and not conducive to realizing the Kingdom of God on this earth as Jesus Christ has taught us.

The Seven Steps of Gospel Sharing

The First Step:We invite the Lord. Once the group settles down in the SCC meeting, the facilitator asks the participants to volunteer to "invite the Lord" which underscores the presence of the Risen Lord in our midst always.

The Second Step:We read the text. The facilitator announces the text, preferably the Gospel passage of the following Sunday. When all the participants have found the passage and are ready, the facilitator invites a participant to proclaim the text. As per the need, three or more volunteers may be invited to proclaim the text prayerfully and meditatively according to the version of the Bible they carry or according to language. Then a moment of silence follows which is of utmost importance.

The Third Step: We dwell on the text. Here the facilitator asks the members to pick the words/phrases/sentences that have touched/impressed them and read them aloud three or even four times. In doing so almost the entire text is listened to again. The participants are encouraged to repeat what has touched them silently to themselves. It is extremely important that a moment of silence is kept after each person has spoken, allowing the message to "soak in". As a result of this step, "simple" words often take on a new meaning.

The Fourth Step: We listen to Jesus' voice. What is most important in our life of discipleship is to listen to His voice and follow in His footsteps. After spending some time on the individual word/phrase/sentence the entire passage is read again slowly. Then the facilitator announces a time of silence, giving the exact length of time, for instance three minutes. The facilitator advises the people to spend this time in silence before God with similar sentences: "We are open to God"; "We allow ourselves to be loved by Him"; "We let God look at us".A helpful practice during this silence is to repeat or chant a specific word. Here we are with God; we are simply open to God. We wait for him, "In fact he is not far from any of us" (Acts 17:27).

We need to awaken the capability of listening to Jesus all the time and vibrate with the Good News. In order to listen we need to be quiet so that God can speak to us in silence.

The Fifth Step: We share what we have heard in our hearts.After this time of quietness and silence, the facilitator announces the next step i.e. to share with each other what we have heard in our hearts. We share with one another, without any shyness and hesitation, our faith experience so as to nurture one another in faith and help one another to grow in it.

This faith sharing of God-experience is a testimony of what God does and has done in our lives and, in the process, other faith-lives are enriched and strengthened.

The Sixth Step: We do an honest examination of our lives in the light of the Word of God.The facilitator invites the participants to challenge ourselves, in the light of the community and as the Body of Christ. We do this in an atmosphere of prayer, trust, openness, mutual understanding and confidentiality. The participants freely and openly share their opinions and viewpoints on spiritual, intellectual, psychological, physical, social, cultural, political, economic and environmental needs, issues, problems and challenges which they wish to resolve as a community or find a solution through a common discernment without hesitation and inhibition.

The participants may also discuss everyday concerns such as:

• Someone needs help in the neighbourhood,
• Children need instructions in the faith,
• Who will proclaim the Word during the Sunday Mass?
• How can we settle a discord that has arisen in the neighbourhood?
• What can we do about getting the street lamp repaired etc.?

The Seventh Step: We pray together. The facilitator now invites the participants to pray for various needs of the Church and the world. The words of Scripture, the various experiences of God's Word, the daily concerns and problems — these all become fuel for prayer. Some find this form of sharing in prayer the easiest way to communicate with others. The participants are encouraged to incorporate in their personal prayer whatever has been of special importance to them during the meditation and the Gospel Sharing.

Only at the end a formal prayer known to everyone is recited.
The SCC meeting may conclude with a hymn to Our Blessed Mother e.g. the Salve Regina.

Certain golden tips of the SCCs:

• Leaders in the Small Christian Communities only facilitate the Gospel Sharing. They do not dominate the interactions during the sharing. Their responsibility is only to create a healthy environment for members to actively contribute to the Gospel Sharing and to draw out a common action plan and to participate in the action plan at the end. They set the model of servant-leadership.
• Gospel Sharing is SHARING, not discussion or preaching.
• The seven-step method does not end with theoretical exercise of sharing. It encourages the members to practice the Word of God through doing good deeds.
• The members who attend the SCC regularly come closer to each other, building a strong well-knit community centered on the Word of God and the Eucharist.

Let us endeavour to build these strong evangelizing communities in our Archdiocese for the living of an authentic Christian life of discipleship and for a credible witness to the Kingdom of God.

MOMENTS OF GRACE

Our daily life is made up of moments and every moment is a moment of God’s grace if only we recognize it so. Each one of us will have memories of how our Spirit-filled response of love, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, gentleness, patience, courage, generosity etc. in a particular situation made it a moment of grace when we were tempted to act otherwise. To “walk by the Spirit” and not to “gratify the desires of the flesh” (cf. Gal. 5:16) is a life-long struggle for growth in the Spirit and maturity in spiritual life. Until our last breath on earth we will experience within ourselves the conflict between the “desires of the Spirit” and the “desires of the flesh” (cf. Gal. 5: 17).
The recent picture of Mr. Kanhiya Kumar, the NDRF Constable from Bihar who ran with a sick child over the Cheruthoni bridge in Kerala which was about to sink in the devastating floods on August 10 is a powerful example of grace-filled response which makes life beautiful. Undoubtedly there will be hundreds of such examples all over Kerala during the trying days of the floods, which have not come to light and will never be but they are recorded in the heart of God himself. We have also heard of the Thai diver Saman Gunan who died in the very difficult rescue operation in Northern Thailand over two months ago to rescue the young football team and their coach from the Tham Luang caves in which they were trapped from June 23 to July 10 after the exits got flooded due to excessive rains. He was returning from a mission to provide the group with air tanks when he himself ran out of oxygen. Also laudable and very significant was the response of the local people to supply food, medicines, equipment, clothing, etc to the relatives and others camping near the caves during those 18 anxious days. The rescue was a miracle of prayer, courage, determination and love. This has been so well documented in so many write-ups from all over the world.
Actions like these make God’s grace real and tangible in a world torn by strife, violence, hatred and division.
Our late Fr. Leslie Didier’ Serre of happy memory (passed into eternity on March 20, 2003) was the Vice-Rector of our Minor Seminary Vinay Gurukul in Gurugram. Once while travelling on his small moped from Gurugram to Delhi on NH -8 he had halted at a busy signal-stop. One man in a car behind him began abusing him for being slow and obstructive with the usual “sala” word. Fr. Leslie alighted from his moped and with a smile on his face went to him and extending his hand for a hand-shake greeted him, “yes my brother-in-law, what can I do for you?” The man was taken aback, smiled in return and laughed heartily. He never expected this response. What could have been a very hot exchange between two men turned out to be a beautiful encounter of cordiality, understanding and friendship. Fr. Leslie made this moment a moment of grace. This is only one of his many experiences that he used to narrate.
I remember an incident in my life that I can never forget. It was in late July of the year 1994. A priest from our Archdiocese and myself had landed in Rome for our higher studies and were on our way to a place called Urbania a little over 260 Km away from Rome where we were to attend a three months’ course in the Italian language. It was just our third day in Italy, we didn’t know the language and we had boarded the wrong bus. We had to alight at a place called Aqualagna from where we were told to take a taxi to our destination which was about 25 kms away or more. There were no taxis available for more than two hours and as we were getting late we thought of asking for some help from a group of people who were conversing on the street on a warm summer’s evening. We had to introduce ourselves and tell our predicament in English. They were very sympathetic but none of them could offer us a lift to our destination; nonetheless they found a way. They stopped a car passing by and requested the man to help us. He was a stranger to the place and didn’t know where Urbania was. He had to consult his map in the boot of the car. He realized Urbania was in the opposite direction for him; he hesitated for a moment but changed his mind immediately and said’ “come on, I will drop you”. On the way he had to ask for direction himself – all for our sake, and he did it graciously. He appeared to be a businessman and was getting many phone calls on the way but to everyone he was replying, “I have two Indian guests with me in the car, I will talk to you after I drop them”. He not only reached us to our destination but even rang the door bell of “Seminario Vescovile” for us and waited till the door opened and we were inside. With just a hand-shake he said good-bye, wished us well and went back. As I look back I can see how everyone of those wonderful human beings turned that moment into a moment of grace for us and for themselves, particularly the person who went out of his way to bring us to our destination.
We have to recognize every moment of our life as a moment of grace but there are also some events in life which can be termed as summons from God for repentance and new life in an exceptional way.
In my own life I remember another incident going back to 45 years ago when I was in the first year of my philosophical studies in the major seminary. Every year each class had to do a public disputatio or debate on a philosophical topic. I was selected to lead the proposition. Relying on my own supposed intellectual abilities and false sense of “smartness” I thought I had it all under my control and will make short work of the opposition. However on the day of the debate, after my presentation of the theme which, I was convinced, was highly impressive, I was not able to answer even one of the several sharp, well articulated and gripping arguments my opponent threw at me. I fumbled and rambled repeatedly making a laughing stock of myself in front of the audience. The audience was at times giggling and at times roaring in laughter at my cost. The moderator mercifully came to my rescue by answering the questions himself and closing the debate little before time. After the debate I had to face much ridicule and jeering. It was indeed a big embarrassment for me but the lessons I learnt from this incident I have not forgotten to date. I consider it a moment of grace because this incident taught me to be humble and accept the superior intelligence of others, to laugh at myself and not be discouraged, to rely on God’s power and not be over-confident, never to under-estimate anyone, to engage in healthy competition which is not ego-centered.
As somebody has rightly said: “Recipe for good health is to swallow your pride sometimes”.
Every one of us at some time or other in our life goes through such an experience of transformation and renewal. I call this moment, kairos or moment of God’s grace bringing us to repentance and new life. It can happen in any field of our professional life and even in the consecrated life of priests and religious. Too much of self-reliance often leads to a moment of debacle and failure but it always comes with a message that I need to radically change my life, my value system, my mind-set, my priorities and walk in the path of eternal life as Christ Our Lord has so clearly laid before us.
Our Lord Jesus Christ placed this as the one and only pre-requisite for salvation when, at the very beginning of his ministry, he gave the clarion call for repentance if we wish to enter the Kingdom of God. The rest of the Gospel is but a gradual unraveling of what repentance entails.
The pursuit of the self leads to death but the denial of the self leads to life. This is the paradox of the Gospel which Our Lord has passed on to us as the Truth of Eternal Life. None can deny it unless one has chosen falsehood instead of truth; and falsehood is like an inflated balloon that has to burst one day and is at the risk of bursting with the slightest prick.
Our Lord has said: “So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty’” (Lk. 17:10). To consider oneself an unworthy servant and never to seek credit for oneself for anything but attribute it all to God’s goodness, kindness and mercy is the mark of true Christian discipleship.
Before his conversion from Saul to Paul, St. Paul was certainly one of the boastful Pharisees who prided on their righteousness that springs from observing the Law in its minutest detail – thus giving oneself the feeling of being morally, spiritually, intellectually and socially superior to others who may not belong to that same category for various reasons and are looked down upon. However, when he realized the power and wisdom of the Cross and the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ he became humble in the presence of God and proclaimed: “Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord” (1Cor. 1: 31). Ever afterwards he spoke of the power of God’s grace and mercy in his life and not the power of his own superior upbringing, masterful intelligence or unmatched capabilities (cf. 1Cor. 15:9-10; 1Tim. 1:15-16).
Our Blessed Mother also echoes the same truth in her Magnificat which we remembered on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mother into heaven (cf. Lk. 2: 46-55). She sang this song when, filled with grace, she was at the house of Elizabeth to serve her. Grace results in service, not domination. The Eucharistic Celebration always begins with the Kyrie eleison, which is the prayer for God’s mercy. It should lead us to acknowledge our sinfulness before God and total dependence on his merciful love and compassion which alone can save us. It is a call to let go of our pride, arrogance, self-centredness and false ego. The Holy Mass is the fount of God’s abundant grace. The Divine Mercy Prayer so widespread in the Church today is a timely gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church to remind us that a life not dependent on God’s mercy is heading for disaster.
Fully anchored in God’s mercy may every moment of our life be a moment of grace because. It will be so if we say “yes” to the Holy Spirit as Mary our Blessed Mother did all through her life.

FILL ME WITH YOURSELF, EMPTY ME OF MYSELF

Sr. Vandana RSCJ (or Vandana Mataji as she used to be called) of happy memory, in one interfaith live-in way back in 1989, had taught the participants a beautiful meditation. The meditation which lasts an hour is centered on one’s breathing. As we sit in a yoga posture with the back straight and eyes closed we concentrate on our breathing. To remain focused we first mentally count 1-2-3-4 as we breathe in and the same as we breathe out. [The moment our fingers slacken from their position on the knees or the back starts to bend, we know we have lost our concentration]. We go on this way for quite some time as we begin to experience a deep inner peace and tranquility. But it doesn’t end here. Vandana Mataji had taught us to gradually utter a mantra mentally. As we breathe in we say “Fill me with Yourself” and as we breathe out “Empty me of myself”. This rhythm continues till, at a particular moment, we give expression to the divine presence in us by allowing the mantra AUM to emanate from our hearts in a sound that fills the entire hall/room where we are sitting. Still more, as we come close to the end of the meditation and before opening our eyes we send our PEACE or vibrations of peace to any person/s or situation/s anywhere in the world, where peace is needed.

The central part of the meditation is the silent prayer “Fill me with Yourself, Empty me of myself”. If our breathing is always intertwined with this prayer we will certainly be harbingers of love, peace and joy in this world. This is the secret of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The call to repentance, the beatitudes, the commandment of love, the washing of the feet, the teachings on forgiveness, childlikeness, self-denial in discipleship, and finally the indispensability of sharing in his suffering and death in order to be partakers of his resurrection are all founded on this mystery of our salvation i.e. we will not enter the kingdom of God unless we are emptied of ourselves and filled with God.

The Lord’s victory over the Evil One during his forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert clearly demonstrates that he didn’t live at the level of his superficial self. This “self” expresses itself in the attachment to pleasures, power, wealth, popularity and earthly glory. We experience it in the anxieties and competitions of our daily life. We call this superficial centre the ahamkara or the egocentre which is the cause of all divisions, hatred, anger, tensions and wars within and without because its power is kama i.e. desire. Christ our Lord lived at the level of atma bodha i.e. indwelling Spirit whose power is dharma (or dhamma). Dharma frees one from external pulls and roots one’s life in the atma. Throughout his ministry, and particularly in his passion and death on the cross, Christ our Lord testifies to his deep communion with the Father. If he had lived a superficial life he would have sought earthly glory but he says: “I do not receive glory from men. But I know that you have not the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me… How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (Jn. 5:41-44). Again he says: “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God. But you have not known him; I know him” (Jn. 8: 54-55). Christ our Lord did not seek earthly glory but the Father did glorify him – in the resurrection, and that glory i.e. of eternal life is the glory that he has told us to seek. This is the treasure in heaven “where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Mt. 6: 20). He has also warned us: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Lk. 16:13).

Can we ever dilute the meaning of these words that challenge us every moment to authentic discipleship? : “Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:5-8).

Fr. Sebastian Painadath SJ in his book “The Power of Silence. Fifty Meditations to Discover the Divine Space within you” (Delhi: ISPCK, 2009) explains the meaning of OM. According to the Upanishads it is the combination of three syllables A, U and M. A is the first sound that we produce; hence every alphabet begins with A. M the last sound that resounds as humming when the mouth is closed. U is the middle sound. Hence AUM – spoken as OM – refers to the totality of reality; the beginning, middle and end of all. OM is therefore the sound symbol of the Divine that permeates and comprehends all, transforms all into One. Through the meditative repetition of OM one gets attuned to the divine vibrations in the deeper realms of consciousness. With the inherent three sounds a transition of awareness happens: from A through U to M, from mind (manah) through psyche (chitta) to buddhi, from wakeful state (jagrit) through dream state (swapna) to intuitive awareness (sushupti). The Divine is experienced beyond the personal objectification in names and forms, and intuited as the transpersonal subject: as the Ground of being, as the ultimate Self (Brahman), as the transforming Spirit (Atman).

The divine presence that is intuited through OM permeates the entire realm of creation. Hence the mantra OM not only brings about an integrative process within, but also leads to an intense experience of harmony with the cosmos. The deeper one gets attuned to the divine vibration, the more one comes into harmony with the creative melody of the universe. With the meditative repetition of OM one gradually feels that OM vibrations flow from beyond one’s body and self. One gets tuned to the cosmic melody. A deep oneness with all things in the universal divine stream of life and love is felt. The meditation with OM opens the buddhi to a cosmic consciousness beyond oneself. Meditation then becomes sensing the divine pulsation at the heart of the universe. With it one overcomes loneliness and estrangement; one can resonate with the entire reality. A deep compassion towards all beings is the consequent grace. Through OM, the sacred syllable which stands for the whole mystery of Being, one is led to the contemplation of God who is Sat-Chit-Ananda (Truth-Thought-Bliss) or Saccidananda. (Cf. The Power of Silence, pp. 56-61). When my heart is attuned to the whole universe I realize the futility of being acquisitive, greedy, selfish and ego-centered which are negative forces that disrupt the cosmic melody and militate against the peace and harmony God has always wanted to reign in the whole of his creation. We call this the SIN that is at the core of our being – our brokenness and woundedness that constantly calls for healing and redemption. As St. Paul puts it so graphically, we experience deep within ourselves the constant struggle between the “desires of the flesh” and the “desires of the Spirit”: “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would… And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another” (cf. Gal. 5: 16-26). This is the freedom to which we are called in Christ Jesus – not through lofty words of human wisdom but through the foolishness of the Cross, “a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1: 23-25).

We cannot live the self-emptying of our Lord Jesus Christ unless we abide in him like the branches in the vine (cf. the Parable of the “Vine and the Branches” in Jn. 15). To live in him is to be “buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). To walk in the newness of life is to “live according to the Spirit”, setting our minds “on the things of the Spirit”; and “to set the mind on the things of the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8: 5-6). Chanting the eternal OM we descend into our inner depths which open to us the treasures of the indwelling Trinitarian Mystery and we come to know the Power of Silence. We discover the divine space within us and with this we are transformed into children of God, ever repentant and filled with grace.

Meditation is never meant to make us “superior” because we are “enlightened” or “realized” souls but to make us more and more childlike and utterly humble in order to build a society where truth and justice prevail, where people live in love, compassion, peace and harmony, where we respect one another and no one is deprived of one’s freedom and one’s dignity.

May we consistently strive to walk on this path as we celebrate another anniversary of our nation’s Independence.

“Into that heaven of freedom my Father, let my country awake!” (Tagore).

At the Last Supper Our Lord Jesus Christ left us a spiritual legacy that is inseparably connected with the Eucharist i.e. the Washing of the Feet. We re-enact this scene once a year on Maundy Thursday but the spirit of it has to remain with us all through the year and at every moment of our life if the Holy Eucharist is truly the centre of our life. Let these words of Our Lord resound in our hearts all the time: “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you” (Jn. 13:12-15). This was not an isolated event in the life of Our Lord but the culmination of his life and its goal – intimately related to his death on the cross and the victory of the resurrection.

The washing of the feet cannot be separated from the commandment of love which is at the heart of the mystery of our salvation. To love is to be a servant to one another and there lies the evangelical challenge of repentance and new life.

To be a servant is the mark of Christian discipleship. It is also a powerful witness to the Kingdom of God as testified by the Lord himself. We are called to be people of selfless service at all times, not only in the family but also in the parish and above all in the larger society which is the building block of the nation. Our service to the community should be such that it always upholds the dignity of the human person and of human labour and is thereby a counter-witness to the caste and class system in our society.

The famous ecumenical document Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (1982) of the Faith & Order Commission of the World Council of Churches, also called Lima document states it beautifully: “The eucharist embraces all aspects of life…The eucharistic celebration demands reconciliation and sharing among all those regarded as brothers and sisters in the one family of God and is a constant challenge in the search for appropriate relationships in social, economic and political life (Matt. 5:23f; 1Cor. 10:16f; 1Cor. 11:20-22; Gal. 3:28). All kinds of injustice, racism, separation and lack of freedom are radically challenged when we share in the body and blood of Christ…As participants in the eucharist, therefore, we prove inconsistent if we are not actively participating in this ongoing restoration of the world’s situation and the human condition… Solidarity in the eucharistic communion of the body of Christ and responsible care of Christians for one another and the world find specific expressions in the liturgies…All these manifestations of love in the eucharist are directly related to Christ’s own testimony as a servant” (Baptism, Eucharist & Ministry – Eucharist – Nos. 20-21).

The path of self-emptying love shown by our Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. There cannot be any other. Therefore we sing: “Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant… he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:5-11).

The washing of the feet is an act of humility and humiliation. It implies emptying oneself of one’s pride, self-centredness and egoism, of the desire to exercise power and authority over others and lord it over them, of the deep inner longing for honour, prestige, privilege, superiority over others, the drive for autocracy and dictatorship. The Evil One had precisely tempted the Lord with all these delusions during his forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert and the Lord won his firm victory over the Evil One not only in the desert but throughout his ministry and culminated this victory in his ignominious death on the Cross which looked like an utter failure. The Lord would tell us that our salvation lies in detaching ourselves from the false self with all its empty promises which we call “sin” and attach ourselves to our true Self that is the Holy Spirit in us and who sets us free to love God and our neighbour as we love ourselves.

We would do well to heed the words of St. Peter: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble’. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you” (1Pet. 5: 5-7).

When the sons of Zebedee were squabbling among themselves about high places in the “kingdom” the Lord told them: “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink? ...You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt. 20: 22-28). To drink the cup with the Lord is to enter into the mystery of his suffering and death on the Cross – his baptism – and rise with him to the new life of God’s Kingdom. His death is redemptive because it frees us from the delusions of the Evil One and enables us to live already here and now the life of the children of God.

St. Paul reminds us of this mystery: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life” (Rom. 6: 3-4).

The newness we have obtained in Christ is not a one-day affair but a life-long process of purification and growth in the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. It is a Passover journey with the Risen Lord from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.

Bernie Owens SJ in his book, More Than You Could Ever Imagine (Mumbai: Pauline Publications, 2015) pp. 143-165 speaks of how St. John of the Cross likens this process of our spiritual transformation to that of a log of wood thrown on a fire. We have watched what happens to a large log as the fire begins to envelop and penetrate it. St. John of the Cross uses this metaphor to explain what happens to us as the Holy Spirit, called by him “the Living Flame of Love”, transforms us in Christ. We can only admire God’s artistry freeing and re-creating us by bringing forth our potential for Divinity. Like the log being immersed more and more in the fire, we, as we progress on our Passover journey, are more and more taken into God. We are exposed to God’s powerful action that purges us eventually of all that is ungodly, of all that is un-Christlike, and imparts to us divine light, new loving knowledge of God, of neighb

The process is gentle but also painful. Bernie Owens describes it thus: “We are rather weak and burdened with numerous imperfections. In various ways, conscious and unconscious, we are attached to so many things: our status, our reputation, our financial security, possibly even the way we have been praying or the way we image God and ourselves. We resist giving up control and the changes that come with it… When there are in our lives behaviours reflecting pride or envy, anger or lust, greed, sloth or gluttony, it will be painful for us to encounter the presence and purity of God. There will ensue a war of great contraries raging inside us. Virtues and imperfections will be at odds with each other. One will try to expel the other because contraries cannot co-exist…However, once these imperfections and bad habits are purged, sometimes over months and even years in our lives, our sufferings come to an end and joy prevails. This is not just as an absence of pain, because now there is a significant communion of likeness with God, and we have become much more free” (p. 146).

St. John of the Cross does not stop at the “burning log” image to describe the process of purification but goes further to say that the purified soul “appears to be God!” (p. 150). When asked how a creature can be brought to the state of the Creator, he says, “God has so given himself to the person, so transformed the soul of this man or woman that his or her soul is like a crystal, clean and pure, on which light shines… The more intense the light, the brighter becomes the crystal. If you increase the light enough, the crystal will appear indistinguishable from the light, so filled with light is it . So too once the presence and transformation of God is complete in us, we will appear as God. Each and every person God has created is invited into this transformation” (pp. 150-151).

Thus a person filled with the divine flame of love i.e. the Holy Spirit “enjoys the greatest possible welcome of God and a sharing in all the goods and secrets of God’s wisdom” (p. 154). And there are further wonders: “We will love with the Heart and affection of God. The Holy Spirit will be so full in us, like the fire permeating completely the log of wood, giving us divine strength to live this new and eternal life of loving as only God can love” ( p. 155).

This is the miracle God works in all the Saints while they are still on this earth, as we have experienced for instance with Mother Teresa of Kolkota; but there are innumerable “unknown” saints in our world who live this miracle of communion in the Holy Trinity and radiate the joy and victory of God - God’s glory in the daily challenges of life; and indeed each one of us is called to be this “lamp of fire” transmitting the warmth of divine love and “a well of living waters” giving life, giving God to all around us. This is the mystery of becoming divine, of being transformed in God which is the true destiny of every human person.

Since the day of our Baptism we have been called to holiness of life. St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians says it so beautifully: “Blessed be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Eph. 1:3-4). Holiness cannot be defined. It is a quality of life that the human spirit always connects with what we call grace or virtue or, in short, life in the Holy Trinity. It is not easy to be holy, especially in the modern world with all its hedonistic values and varied attractions. Keeping the modern challenges in mind Pope Francis has recently written a brief Apostolic Exhortation titled Gaudete Et Exultate (Rejoice and be Glad) on the “Call to Holiness in Today’s World”.

Holiness is not the prerogative of those who “withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer” (No. 14). All are called to be holy “by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do” (No. 14) – whether we are lay people, or consecrated religious or secular priests. Each vocation in life carries with it its own challenges within which we are called to live our discipleship of Christ and thus shape our spirituality. The spiritualities of married life, of various forms of consecrated life, of secular priesthood differ from each other in nature, though rooted in the Paschal Mystery of Christ through baptism.

Of course we always have in the Church Saints who are models of holiness, described, right from the beginning of the Church, as “a great cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1). The Book of Revelation attests to this when it speaks of the intercession of the martyrs (cf. Rev. 6:9-10). These witnesses always impel us to “advance constantly towards the goal” (No. 2). Among them are those who are officially declared by the Church as “Saints” on account of their heroic virtue and whose memory forms part of our liturgical calendar. However there are those who are not declared as such and may even include our loved ones who have gone before us, even though their lives may not always have been perfect “yet even amid their faults and failings they kept moving forward and proved pleasing to the Lord” (No. 3).

The 1st day of November every year is dedicated to the commemoration of “All Saints” and these are those who have not been officially beatified or canonized by the Church and yet, our faith tells us, have become partakers of the eternal glory of the Holy Trinity and, in union with Christ’s intercession before the Father, they intercede for us before God’s eternal throne. The Saints preserve their love and communion with us which is the mystery of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Enjoying the highest honour among the Saints is Mary, Our Blessed Mother along with Joseph, her chaste and faithful spouse.

Keeping these testimonies before us the Pope exhorts us: “Let the grace of your baptism bear fruit in a path of holiness. Let everything be open to God; turn to him in every situation. Do not be dismayed, for the power of the Holy Spirit enables you to do this, and holiness, in the end, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life ( cf. Gal. 5:22-23). When you feel the temptation to dwell on your own weakness, raise your eyes to Christ crucified and say: ‘Lord, I am a poor sinner, but you can work the miracle of making me a little better’. In the Church, holy yet made up of sinners, you will find everything you need to grow towards holiness. The Lord has bestowed on the Church the gifts of scripture, the sacraments, holy places, living communities, the witness of the saints and a multifaceted beauty that proceeds from God’s love ‘like a bride bedecked with jewels’ (Is. 61:10)” (No. 15).

Therefore, a Christian cannot think of his or her mission on earth except by seeing it as a path of holiness, for “this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3). That mission has its fullest meaning only in Christ, and can only be understood through him. The Pope explains it thus: “At its core, holiness is experiencing, in union with Christ, the mysteries of his life. It consists in uniting ourselves to the Lord’s death and resurrection in a unique and personal way, constantly dying and rising anew with him. But it can also entail reproducing in our own lives various aspects of Jesus’ earthly life: his hidden life, his life in community, his closeness to the outcast, his poverty and other ways in which he showed his self-sacrificing love. The contemplation of these mysteries, as Saint Ignatius of Loyola pointed out, leads us to incarnate them in our choices and attitudes” (No.20). Ultimately holiness is nothing other than “charity lived to the full” (No. 21) and this is achieved only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Mt. 6:33) are the words of Christ to us in his Sermon on the Mount. Just as we cannot understand Christ’s mission apart from the kingdom of God so also our personal mission is inseparable from the building of that kingdom. The Pope says: “Your identification with Christ and his will involves a commitment to build with him that kingdom of love, justice and universal peace. Christ himself wants to experience this with you, in all efforts and sacrifices that it entails, but also in all the joy and enrichment it brings. You cannot grow in holiness without committing yourself, body and soul, to giving your best to this endeavour” (No. 25).

In the Christian vocation silence and interaction with others, peace and quiet and activity, prayer and service go together. We are called to be contemplatives in action and grow in holiness “by responsibly and generously carrying out our proper mission” (No. 26). In the words of the Pope: “Everything can be accepted and integrated into our life in this world, and become a part of our path to holiness” (No. 26).

The Pope warns against two “subtle enemies of holiness” (Chapter Two) i.e. Contemporary Gnosticism and Contemporary Pelagianism. These two ideologies “reflect an anthropocentric immanentism disguised as Catholic truth” (No. 35). The former is a sinister ideology that unduly exalts knowledge or a specific experience and considers its own vision of reality to be perfect. Thus, without even realizing it, “this ideology feeds on itself and becomes even more myopic” (No. 40). The latter exalts the human will and personal effort setting aside mystery and grace and God’s mercy.

Our Lord Jesus Christ gave less importance to rules, customs, ways of acting and ecclesial structures than to living the life of the Beatitudes (cf. Mt. 5:3-12; Lk. 6:20-23). According to Pope Francis the Beatitudes are the “Christian’s identity card” (No. 63). Each one of us has to do in our own way what Jesus told us to do in the Sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes “we find a portrait of the Master, which we are called to reflect in our daily lives” (No. 63). If we go by the logic of the Beatitudes the word “happy” or “blessed” becomes a synonym for “holy”. It expresses the fact that “those faithful to God and his word, by their self-giving, gain true happiness” (No. 64).

Therefore, holiness is being poor of heart, reacting with meekness and humility, knowing to mourn with others, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, seeing and acting with mercy, keeping a heart free of all that tarnishes love, sowing peace all around us, accepting the daily path of the Gospel even though it may cause us problems.

In Chapter Four the Pope highlights five great expressions of love for God and neighbour that we can consider as “signs of holiness in today’s world”. These are: 1) perseverance, patience and meekness which include humility that “can only take root in the heart through humiliations” (No. 118); 2) joy and sense of humour; 3) boldness and passion; 4) in community; 5) in constant prayer. The Pope concludes his exhortation in Chapter Five by emphasizing that the Christian life is a matter of constant spiritual combat, vigilance and discernment. He crowns his reflection by referring to Our Blessed Mother “because she lived the Beatitudes of Jesus as none other” (No. 176).

To have a fervent longing to be saints for God’s greater glory is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray for that gift and “let us encourage one another in this effort” in order to be able to “share a happiness that the world will not be able to take from us” (No. 177).