Endure in the Journey of your Faith

LK 21: 12-19

Today’s gospel is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to reflect on our commitment to the faith we profess in Jesus Christ. Jesus brought us salvation through his suffering and total commitment to the mission of His Father; that he should endure suffering, that on the cross.

St. Paul in his letter to the Romans will describe his endurance through which he proclaimed the message of Christ to the people when he was forming the community amidst different societies. He says, “Nothing can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked. These are the trials through which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us.” (Rm 8:35-37).

The Gospel today tells us that our sufferings are an opportunity to stand for what we believe in. In other words through every walks of our lives we are called to be the witness for Christ and His message in our lives. So let us live the Christ in us through our every day happenings.

What does a priest need to do to preach effectively?

One of the duties of a priest is to break the word of God effectively so that the Word of God can penetrate the hearts of the people. There has been always a  growing desire among the faithful to listen to a very good homily during the Sunday liturgy.  This actually results very heavily on ones preparation of the homily. There may be so many techniques and methods  to preach a good homily, but the following words of an American Cardinal hit me like a bullet. He says, “ Preaching requires TWO Ps. Prayer and Preparation. Preaching without these amounts to irresponsibility on your part and an act of injustice to your congregation.”[1]

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[1] Joseph Thenasseril, SSP, A Human Being Among Not Above Other Human Beings Priests Speak from the Heart. ( Mumbai: St. Paul Press Training School, 2010), 61.

Openness and desire for God

Readings Acts 8: 26-40; Jn 6: 44-51

Let us reflect today on the First reading, wherein we meet the deacon Philip, whom we saw in the yesterday’s reading as a successful person in the preaching of the word of God. As we see in the reading today he is instructed by God to take the road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza, which is a desert road. On this road he meets an Ethiopian eunuch.

Who is this Ethiopian eunuch?

·         He is the finance minister of the queen of Ethiopia.

·         They were commonly used in positions of seniority and trust, especially where the women of the royal household were concerned.

·         They were often powerful and very rich.

·         As we are told in the reading today he had gone to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage to worship.

·          It is very likely that he was a convert to Judaism or else a Gentile who believed in the God of Israel.

When does Philip meet him?

·         Philip meets him when he was reading the book of Prophet Isaiah.

·         It was Isaiah 53: 7-8., which is the fourth song of the suffering servant, which is read at the service on Good Friday.

·         During those days it was a usual practice to read aloud and that is how Philip knew what he was reading.

·         During the course of their conversation we could see the openness and the desire of the Eunuch. Openness to know the depth of the Scripture and desire for baptism, because he expressed his total faith in Jesus.

What are the challenges?

·         There may be plenty of opportunities for all of us to explain Scripture to others, who willingly want to know the spoken words of Jesus, so it is our challenge to read and understand the scripture daily, so that we can explain this to others. Let us make this as a habit, so that we can inspire and be inspired by God’s word.

·         Why am I not able to spend time in reading the Scripture?

I Am the Bread of Life

Readings:  Acts 8: 1-8; Jn 6: 35-40

Dear friends we are called to be the living message of the Gospel. In the first reading we see the great zeal of the apostles who preached the message of Christ even amidst difficulties and suffering. The first reading tells us that many came to welcome the message of Christ based on what they heard and saw them for themselves. In other words, the message of Christ brought life and newness in the life of the people. The same message is also found in today’s Gospel reading. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.” (Jn 6: 35). At first he states to us who he is taking the symbol of bread, just like the bread sustains life and assures the continuity of life so also Jesus.  Thereafter, he extends an invitation with a firm assurance that he will not abandon them or turn them out “Whoever comes to me I shall not turn him away... I should lose nothing. (Jn 6: 37-39). This particular verse tells us the clear mind of God that he wants his sons and daughters to be with him. Just like the shepherd gathers his own sheep without being lost, so also Jesus. I am sure there might have been moments in our lives, where we felt the comforting presence of Jesus in our lives, so let us re-live those moments once again and be assured that Jesus does not abandon me.

Call for commitment and proclamation

 Readings: Acts 3: 11-26; Lk 24: 35-48

“If I do not stand for something I fall for everything.”

 In the courageous proclamation of Peter over the cure of a cripple man from birth, we understand that he was able to talk to the people without fear of life and at the same time bore witness to the person, whom he believed in. As we see in the Gospel today Jesus once again appeared before them and talked to them as he did before when he was with them on earth.

What does the resurrected Jesus call us for through his appearance to his beloved disciples? He calls us for a deeper commitment in and through our lives. This commitment in the person of Jesus should lead me to the proclamation of the Person and His message. This is very much evident in the life of Peter, a few days before he denied his association with him. But the moment he experienced the resurrected Christ, stands out and speaks aloud and calls others to believe in him. This is a big task for all of us because if we are touched by God no one could stop us from proclaiming his word.

Prayer: Lord God, give me the gift of perseverance in my effort to follow you and to be your vibrant instrument of peace and love on this earth. Amen

The strengthened disciples!

27th April Easter Wednesday

Readings Acts 3: 1-10; Lk 24: 13-35

In this particular passage of the Gospel today, we meet the disappointed disciples, who make their journey back, to lead a life of the past, which they have left behind when they were called by Jesus. Their talks among themselves seem to tell us about the desperation and the defeat both in their lives and in the life of their master. It is at this juncture Jesus joins in their journey and asks, “What matters are you discussing as you walk along?”  To this question of Jesus the disciples were astounded and replied in turn, “you must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things they have been happening there these last few days”  it only reminds  us that still they did not perceive the one who is talking to  them.

When Jesus came to the table and said the blessing (here Jesus takes the role of the host) they were able to recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread, so let our daily celebration of the Eucharist lead us to the deeper experience of Jesus and also His spoken words (Scripture) may lead us to the deeper understanding of the person and His message in our lives.

Hope you all had a wonderful celebration of Easter. May this Easter Joy continue to radiate in your lives and ministry. Let us also continue to live the message of PEACE in our lives and thus inspire many others to walk in the Peace of Christ.

Happy Easter