“Being bold and daring, to rise up to the occasion and ‘standing for God!’”

(Based on 1 Kings 18:20-39 and Mt 5:17-19 – Wednesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

Great incidents and heroic stories can inspire and challenge us greatly.

The Bible is most certainly a power-filled storehouse of such great incidents and heroic stories…
… which inspire us to be more zealous in serving the Lord
… which challenge us to be more enthusiastic in our following of the Lord

One of the most powerful incidents, which has this dual dimension of “inspiring and challenging” is the one found in the First Book of the Kings, Chapter 18, verses 20-39.

This incident is known by many titles …
The Challenge of Elijah, the Prophet

Elijah and the prophets of Baal
… and many more.

The incident is familiar to most of us…

After a drought of three years, the prophet Elijah presented himself to Ahab, the king of Israel, with the promise that the Lord would provide rain.
Elijah, then went on to challenge 450 prophets of the pagan god named Baal and 400 prophets of another pagan god, Asherah to a contest on Mount Carmel.

His words of challenge to them were powerful: “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21).

The game of challenge began:

Each side (The numerous prophets of Baal v/s Elijah, the solitary prophet) made sacrifices to their God without building a fire…
… and the lighting of the fire was to be performed by the strongest god (God!)!

Baal was silent.

The confident prophet Elijah began to even mock the prophets of Baal:
“Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened” (1 Kings 18:27).

The time then came for Elijah to intercede for the revealing of the Glory of God…

He poured a large amount of water over his sacrifice and asked Jehovah to reveal Himself by consuming the sacrifice.
“Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench” (1 Kings 18:38)

When the people saw the clear victory of Jehovah, they fell on their faces and said:

“The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

Elijah then commanded the people to seize the prophets of Baal and to not let one of them escape.

God then sent the rain he had promised and the drought ended (1 Kings 18:41-46).

One of the most powerful messages derived from this incident is that…
…” When we stand for God, we experience God standing by us!”
… “When we uphold the Lord, the Lord reveals His Glory through us!”

Prophet Elijah, who stood for the Lord, and was bold to proclaim His Power…
… became the mighty instrument through whom God would reveal His glory!

Elijah, the prophet, through whom God manifested His Glory…
… foreshadowed the Great Prophet, Jesus, Who would be the fullness of God’s Glory! (Col 1: 19)

Jesus is not just the Great Prophet, Who is the Voice and Word of God
Jesus is not just the Supreme Law-Giver, through Whom everything came into being
… Jesus would be the fulfilment and the completion of the Law and the Prophets (Mt 5: 17)!

Jesus goes on to present a mighty challenge to His followers:
“Whoever relaxes one of the least of the commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven;
But he who does them, and teaches them shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:18-19)

This is a powerful invitation that the Lord presents before us:

“Are you willing to stand up for me?”
“Are you willing to uphold my virtues and the Kingdom values by your life?”

Just as Prophet Elijah, in his days, found challenged by paganism, our world today is faced with innumerable challenges…

A spirit of materialism, that seeks to devour all people into a life of comfort and cosiness…
… at the loss of dependence on God and faithfulness to Divine Providence

A spirit of relativism, that does away with even fundamental truths and basic institutions…
… by seeking to dilute the virtues for which the Church champions and makes void Christ’s teachings

A spirit of division, that slays communities and societies on peripheral grounds like colour, language, caste, region etc…
… and causes people to even divert from essential elements like faith, worship, communion etc

A spirit of indifference, that makes people to behave as strangers to one another…
… and making one to be insensitive to the needy and hurting the Triune Image of God within oneself

As Christians, more than ever before, the challenge is before us…

To stand up for God…
… and know for sure, that He will stand by us!
To uphold the Lord…
… and experience truly the Glory of God revealed through us!

May the great incidents and the heroic stories of the Bible continue to always “inspire and challenge” us…
… and help us to be bold and daring – to rise up to the occasion… and “stand up for God!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Being ready to be the salt of the earth!”

(Based on 1 Kings 17:7-16 and Mt 5:13-16 – Tuesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

A commonly known story (found in different versions) is told of a king who once asked his daughter how dear he was to her.

“As dear, as dear – as salt!” said the daughter, in all her innocence.

The king thought that this was very little and a “cheap” way of expressing her love to him.

And so, being unhappy, remained extremely disappointed with his daughter.

A few months, later, the King sponsored a great feast for the people of his land.

The daughter, made sure, that every dish that was brought to the King, remained unsalted

And thus nothing tasted good to the King.

It was then that the King realized his mistake!

The absence of the salt – which rendered the food tasteless – made him realize the value of salt…
… and the intelligence, in the answer of his daughter!

And thus, the King loved his daughter recognizing the importance of salt – and happy to being loved “As dear, as dear – as salt!”

The Gospel of the Day is the beautiful reminder by the Lord, to recognize the importance of “being the salt of the earth,” and to be on the guard, that our Christian lives don’t become tasteless or bland..
… by “not losing the saltiness!”

As Jesus proceeds with the Sermon on the Mount, He declares…
… “You are the salt of the earth” (Mt 5: 13)

It is fascinating to recognize the greatness of this statement of Jesus, in our present day context…

Imagine this…

There are over eight billion people in the world…
… spread over seven continents and around 195 countries…

There are people belonging to thousands of tribes, ethnicity, languages etc…
… and again hundreds of temperaments, personalities, outlooks and characters.

Among all these various people, the Lord – the Creator of the whole universe – declares to each one of us…
… YOU…
… Yes, YOU, His beloved creation, and the one whom He loves deeply:

“You are the salt of the earth”

Perhaps, this statement of the Lord may cause us surprise and trigger us to ask Him:
“You must be kidding, Lord!

I mean…. Look at the vast expanse of the world – millions of people in here, variety of languages, behaviours, temperaments, personalities…
… and amidst, all this, You expect, Me…
Me? To be the Salt of the Earth?!

We might even pose a question:
“Do you expect Me, a puny little thing, to really be the Salt to the Earth?

I am just a Nobody!”

But the Lord – who knows us through and through – would thunder back and tell us:
“Do not say, you are a nobody!

I am precise in calling You…!

You have been baptized in Me, and you have My Spirit dwelling in You.

Long back, some of my servants also expressed their inability in a similar fashion…
… Abraham
… Jeremiah
… Peter

But they were raised… by My Grace and their co-operation.

You too, have a responsibility towards Me and My Kingdom…
… and You will do much in doing little, when and as I wish!”

Perhaps, these magnanimous words of the Lord would overwhelm us…
… but still, filled with unworthiness, we may cry out, expressing our helplessness:
“But Lord, the challenge is just too great!
I do have some talents and capabilities, that You have bestowed on me.

But will those be enough?

I just feel that I am too small and insignificant, to be making a real difference in the world!”

This is where the Lord will remind us…
“Of course, I don’t deny that it is going to be easy for you to be the Salt of the Earth!

You will struggle…
… You will have to walk the hard path, as did even my Beloved Son on His Way of the Cross.”

The Lord will also remind us that “the salt that He spoke of”…
…was not the pure, refined type that is available today.

The salt of the olden days, when exposed to moisture, could easily become insipid.

It could become tasteless and useless… good only to be thrown and trampled down!
In the same way, we, as the ‘Salt of the Earth’, need to be highly careful.

If we expose ourselves, too much to the worldly and material affairs, we will lose your saltiness!

If we pollute ourselves by the many vain pleasures in the world, we will end up being ineffective!
And then we will be useless…only to be trampled upon! (Mt 5:13b)

Our life is like… as St Paul writes in the Second Letter to the Corinthians is a… ‘Treasure in Clay’! (2 Cor 4:7)

When preserved and careful utilized, we will remain precious

If not handled carefully, we will end up spoiling a wonderful fortune!

We are to be the Salt of the Earth…
… in whichever state of life we are
… to whichever vocation we are called to
… in whichever works or activities we engage in

We are to be the salt…
… that gives taste, to those who have lost meaning and hope in life
… that preserves the virtues of the Gospel and teachings of the Church in a world of decay
… that symbolizes purity even though the world around you plunges into immorality and sin
… that makes you part of the Sacrifice that is offered to God as described in the Law (Lev 2:13)

Yes, we need to remember, that we have a great calling… to be the Salt…
… to give taste to the world… to preserve the Gospel values… to be a symbol of purity…to offer your life as a sacrifice.

We are indeed precious!

Let us never let ourselves be diluted with the waters of worldly pleasures and thus become insipid!

Perhaps, like the king in the story, we sometimes, don’t recognize the importance of salt…
… the importance and immense responsibility in being “the salt of the earth!”

The Lord, today, reminds us:
“Your Christian vocation has to become dear to you….
… “As dear, as dear – as salt!”

Are we ready to be the ‘Salt of the Earth’…?”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Adopting Divine Attitudes in life and mapping our lives in accordance with the Beatitudes!”

(Based on 1 Kgs 17:1-6 and Mt 5:1-12 – Monday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

This popular story is told of a trucker who went into a drive-in restaurant along the highway.

He had ordered a large meal and was beginning to enjoy it…
… when four guys on motorcycles – looking rough and toughs – came in.

These people – local ruffians – roughed up the trucker…
… devoured on the meal that he had ordered and finished it.

The trucker did not talk back to them.
He simply paid his bill and left.

The tough guys were revelling and gloating.
Proudly they began to say, “He didn’t have the guts to say a single word or to lift a hand.

So much of a weakling he was, isn’t it!
He didn’t know to even raise a voice or to retaliate!”

The waiter who seeing all that was happening, came along, chuckled, and added: “He didn’t probably know much of driving either probably!

He just backed his truck over four bikes in the parking lot!”

That’s often how human tendencies are, isn’t it?

The tendency to laud over others and to display one’s power and arrogance…

The tendency to give back in revenge and to seek for opportunities to avenge…
These are tendencies that as human beings we all have – in one form or the other – in one measure or the other

But as a Christian – a follower of Christ – we are challenged to move beyond such “human” (or rather, inhuman!) tendencies, and adopt Divine Attitudes in life.

The Gospel of the Day is a beautiful charter of Divine Attributes – BE ATTITUDES – that are to be lived and practised in our day to day being and living!

The Eight Beatitudes – one of the most beautiful passages of the B.I.B.L.E. (sometimes expanded as being “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”!) – presents to us a ready reference on how to live as a True Follower of Christ.

The passage begins with the sentence, “Jesus went up to the mountain and SAT DOWN…and HE BEGAN TO TEACH them” (Mt 5:1)

In the Jewish Tradition, the Rabbi (teacher) would sit and teach.

The Hebrew word ‘Rabbi’ is derived from “rav,” which means ‘Great One’ or ‘the Teacher.’

When St Matthew specifically mentions that “Jesus sat down and taught”, Jesus is presented as the Rabbi: The Great One – The Teacher – who speaks with great authority.

Jesus is the New Moses, who presents the “New Law- the law of Absolute Love!”

What is this teaching of such great authority?

It’s a teaching which calls for a reversal of the worldly values!

It’s a teaching that turns the worldly standards of greatness upside down!

The world holds in high esteem the aspects of power, prestige, richness and prosperity.

The yardstick of greatness of people is very often measured in terms of these external achievements.

But Jesus, the teacher-par-excellence, reverses this false notion of the world…
… And pronounces BLESSEDNESS to the poor, the mourning, the meek, the hungry and thirsty, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers and the persecuted ones!

High jumpers while competing with each other, keep raising the bar higher and higher, to achieve victory.

Similarly, the Beatitudes that are pronounced by Jesus raises the bar – the standards of Christian life are raised to a great proportion.

All the beatitudes, focus on one aspect: The need to lower oneself and instead to understand that “God alone suffices!”

Very often many questions pop up in our minds…
…. “Why is my life full of suffering, though I seek to live a genuine life?”
… “Why do the unjust prosper, and the people who pursue for justice fail to receive rewards?”
… “Why does success elude me whereas those who adopt wrong means bask in achievements?”

It’s hard to give a downright answer to such questions…
… but the Beatitudes gives us a glimpse into the mind of Jesus: That in all such occasions, our attitude ought to be, “God alone suffices!”.

“GOD ALONE SUFFICES” ought to be our mantra…
… when we find ourselves at the receiving end, even though after having worked hard, we don’t find the expected success
… when we are still subject to persecutions and hardships even though we live in honesty and truthfulness

Of course, this teaching is hard to follow… may even seem impractical…!

Yet, we are not alone…
… Jesus the teacher, Himself is our Model and Example
… He walked the talk!

Hanging on the Cross, Jesus became the epitome of the Beatitudes that He Proclaimed

He is the One…
… Who was and is, the Poor, Mourning, Meek, Hungry and Thirsty,
… Who was and is, the Merciful, Clean of Heart, Peacemaker and the Persecuted One!

Today let us look to Jesus, the Teacher and the One Who lived out the Beatitudes, and make our Christian life more meaningful!

As human beings we do have tendencies to laud over others or display power and arrogance or to give back in revenge or to seek for opportunities to avenge etc

But let this Teaching on the Beatitudes help us as a True Follower of Christ to move beyond such “inhuman” tendencies…
… and adopt Divine Attitudes in life.

In the words of Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, “It’s hard to be a Christian… but it’s harder not to be one!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Cultivating a passionate love for the Eucharistic Lord and choosing to live for Christ!”

(Based on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – Corpus Christi)

“I would like to say the Mass!”

These were the passionate words of Archbishop Dominic Tang, the archbishop of Canton who was imprisoned in China for 22 years…
… for his faith and loyalty to the Church and papacy.

Of these 22 years, seven years were in solitary confinement

This solitary confinement cell was not large enough to stand up nor to lie down and stretch your legs fully.

One day, Archbishop Tang was surprised with the news that he could leave his solitary confinement cell for a few hours to do whatever he wanted.

His persecutors wondered what he would ask for…
… but without any hesitation
… Archbishop Tang, expressed his deep longing that had been suppressed for 22 years: “I would like to say Mass!”

On this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus, we are exhorted to cultivate a passionate love for the Eucharistic Lord…
… just like Archbishop Tang, and to choose to live for Christ!

Our Christian Life celebrates God, who is Emmanuel – With us, God!

And our Emmanuel God, fulfils His promise, by dwelling in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist.

On this Feast of the Corpus Christi, it is apt and meaningful to realize the worth and greatness of this Most Beautiful Treasure that God is gifting to Humanity.

As human beings, we all engage ourselves in many social gatherings, events, occasions etc.

And for all of that, we do make a lot of planning, preparations and arrangements.

The Holy Mass is the re-enactment of the Sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary, in memory of the Holy Institution at the Last Supper.

It is a momentous and splendid Divine Occasion and Event!

But often, this great event is accorded very little preparation.

No wonder, for some people, the Mass often seems boring and sadly, considered a useless ritual!

Very often, just before Holy Mass or just before entering the Church…
… we engage ourselves in very casual talks, in making fun
… and in being filled with worldly attractions and other external distractions.

The Holy Eucharist – Heaven on earth – is basically oriented toward four aspects
(a) Adoration and Worship of God
(b) To give thanks for His gifts and graces
(c) To ask remission of our sins
(d) To offer our petitions to the Lord.

At every Holy Eucharist, we need to become aware of these aspects.

We need to think:

Is my heart and mind really ready to embrace the Awesome Moments of the Lord’s Life – His Passion, His Death and His Resurrection, which is celebrated at Mass?

The Lord of the Universe descends on the Altar and is ready to dwell in our little hearts!

I need to realize the gravity of this Moment and prepare my heart to receive this Divine Saviour!

Do I take time to read and reflect on the Readings of the Mass beforehand?
Do I make a genuine examination of Conscience and truly repent, to receive God’s Mercy?
Do I become aware that, at Holy Mass, I am at Mount Calvary, along with our Blessed Mother…
… and ready to offer my life, along with Jesus, for the Salvation of the world?

St. Francis de Sales says:
“When you have received Him, stir up your heart to do Him homage; speak to Him about your spiritual life, gazing upon Him in your soul where He is present for your happiness!
… welcome Him as warmly as possible, and behave outwardly in such a way that your actions may give proof to all of His Presence.”

This Feast is a Feast for all the days of the year.

The Lord is present in the Blessed Sacraments in our Chapels and our Churches…
… all the days – inviting us to experience His Love!

Let’s delight in this love story, Venerable Fulton Sheen says, “The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white Host!”

Let this Feast help us to make practical resolutions…
… so that we can love the Lord in the Eucharist
… and thus, in turn, become a Eucharist in this our broken and fragmented world.

We need to reflect and examine:

Can I make extra efforts to prepare for the Holy Mass and also be aware of the Presence of the Lord, after Holy Mass?

Is it possible for me to spend daily some time, >> with the Lord, in the Blessed Sacrament? For those of us, where physically, it is
not possible to be with the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, can I spare some time to be with the Lord, in prayer and devotion, in
whichever place possible…?

Can I show an extra devotion to the Lord, especially when we pass before some Chapels or Churches, and become a living witness to God’s infinite love in the Eucharist?

Can I see the Broken Body and the Blood of the Lord, in the broken lives of the people in my life – my family, my workplace, my community, my church, my society, my nation, my world?

Can I spread the Devotion of the Blessed Eucharist to other peoples, especially to lukewarm and tepid Catholics, that all may know and realize, the Presence of the mighty Treasure of Grace, Power and Love, in this Beloved Sacrament?

St Francis de Sales says, “We must visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament a hundred thousand times a day!”

Let us pray: “Make me Your bread to nourish the hungry; make me your wine to quench your thirst; and make me Your comfort
to all those who cry, Amen!”

May Blessed Mamma, the Mother of the Holy Eucharist, help us to “fall in love with the Eucharistic Lord” and to radiate, the Love of Christ to all people!

Happy Feast of the Most Holy Eucharist!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“May the Blessed Mother Mary, Who gave Herself entirely to the Lord, and Jesus, who like the poor widow, gave Himself entirely to His people and in doing God’s Will, be our inspiration, our strength and our hope!”

(Based on 2 Tim 4:1-8 and Mk 12:38-44 – Saturday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

A money-collection drive was being been conducted in a particular Church for a particular intention.

The people were free to put in as much contribution as they wanted for the noble cause.

One gentleman stood up and announced a rather large contribution, and the people applauded greatly.

A few moments later, an old lady stood up and announced her donation.

But it was greeted with silence.

The priest, however, in reply to the cold response of the people, stood up and said emphatically, “Ladies and gentleman, I believe I hear the applause of the nail-scarred Hands!”

The people understood what the priest meant, and slowly but surely applauded the old lady’s generosity.

The Gospel of the Day presents such a similar act of appreciation by Jesus over the apparently “tiny” yet really “great” contribution by a widow to the Temple Treasury.

The passage of the day is the culmination of the 12th Chapter of the Gospel of St Mark.

This has been a volatile passage…

Jesus tells the parable of the Tenants (Mk 12: 1-12)
… thereby giving out a sharp message to the Jews to accept the Messiah and not forfeit the many graces and blessings that they had been blessed with.

Jesus gives a fitting response to the question of paying taxes (Mk 12: 13-17)
… thereby exhorting the concerned people to not get stuck to earthly obligations and instead gear one’s life in total allegiance to the Lord Creator

Jesus corrects the false notion regarding the teaching on Resurrection (Mk 12: 18-27)
… thereby challenging to live a life in worthiness of eternity and to have the correct and deeper faith in the Living God and His Teachings

Jesus makes clear the greatest commandments (Mk 12: 28-34)
… thereby inviting all to understand that there is only one true God and He deserves all the love and affection of our being and this love ought to be expressed in love of neighbour.

Jesus points out from Scripture that He is the Messiah, the Lord (Mk 12: 35-37)
… thereby opening the eyes of the people to read Scripture with greater openness to the Spirit and an invitation to accept Him as the Lord of their lives.

These five pronouncements finally concludes with Jesus denouncing the action of the scribes especially in devouring the lives of the poor widows.

Jesus says, “The scribes devour the houses of widows, and as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers” (Mk 12: 40)

Widows were an easy trap to be cheated and to be exploited…

However, the chapter ends with a beautiful counteract…
A widow – symbol of all the other widows, who have been cheated, or oppressed or facing humiliations – comes in to the Temple and drops in her ‘everything’ in the treasure!

This is indeed a powerful symbol of faithfulness and duty…

She is a symbol of being oppressed – yet she is heartily generous
She is an object of being condemned – yet she is mightily liberal
And she becomes a symbol of self-giving and total-emptiness.

This poor widow becomes a great challenge for us in our lives…

Life may bite us hard with cruel luck and bad destiny…
Life may oppress us through various elements in the society…
Life may cheat us in the form of many people or circumstances…
Yet, through all this…
Like this poor widow,
Can I still be firm to give to God in gratitude?
Can I be faithful to do my responsibilities even if unrewarded?

St Paul beautifully inspires us by his life of commitment, as we hear him proclaim the words of hope:
“For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing!” (2 Tim 4:6-8)

May the Blessed Mother Mary, who Herself was a poor widow, and gave Herself entirely to the Lord…

And Jesus, Who like the poor widow, gave Himself entirely to His people and in doing God’s Will…
… be our inspiration, our strength and our hope!

God Bless! Live Jesus!