09 – 14 AUGUST 2021, HOLY MASS REFLECTIONS
09 AUGUST 2021: DEUT 10. 12-22; MATTHEW 17. 22-27
Focus: We are tax-free but duty-bound! True it is we are free children of God, freed from all the taxes and wages of sin, but at the same time, so long as we are on this earth, we are bound by some duties on the earth
1. We are children of God. He has specially chosen the people of Israel as His own. With a mighty hand, He delivered them from the slavery of alien nations. With justice, He executes justice for the poor and the deprived. With love, He takes care of the sojourners with food and clothing. And with mercy, He condones and forgives all their iniquities. With generosity, He blesses them with abundance and prosperity.
2. Now we are the new Israel. We are free children, for, through Jesus, we are made sons and daughters of God and the heirs of the kingdom. We are no more aliens or strangers but God’s own. But as we are the citizens and heirs of heaven, we become aliens and sojourners to this earth. Here rises the question of tax pay in the gospel, whether Jesus and his disciples should pay the taxes to the Roman government or not. In the legal sense, they are tax-bound because in this world we are only sojourners and heaven is our real homeland.
3. But in the spiritual sense, tax can stand for the wage and weight of sin. As redeemed people, we are freed from sin, and thus we are tax-free. In this sense, the passion and resurrection prediction in the first part of today’s gospel, Matthew 17. 22 f. can be better understood as connected to the second part of tax-pay. However, while still on earth, we are duty-bound by some external duties toward the earth and society. Seen in this perspective, paying of tax or following some laws and duties of the land is not a matter of subjugation. Rather, all of them will be pointers and indicators of our being sojourners on this earth.
4. If we are free children and heirs of heaven and sojourners toward the heavenly kingdom, how then to conduct our life here and now? The first reading from Deuteronomy 10. 12-22 gives us the answers. We shall fear the Lord our God. We shall circumcise our hearts and no longer be stubborn. We shall serve Him and cleave to Him. We shall love Him with whole heart and soul. We shall walk in all His ways, adhering to His commandments and statutes.
Direction: Live in this world, with a sense of duty towards heaven. However, this will not make us evasive or negligent. It will rather make us more dutiful, for one who is faithful to the highest duty will also be faithful to the smaller duties
10 AUGUST 2021: 2 COR 9. 6-10; JOHN 12. 24-26, Feast of St Lawrence
Focus: True love empties itself totally and gives totally to God and others. A love that does not lead one to piety and charity, is not true
1. Today we venerate St Lawrence, one of the most popular martyrs of Rome of the first centuries. Both the readings very well fit him. Quite in tune with Jesus’ words, Lawrence did not love or preserve his life but sacrificed it for the sake of the Lord. Thus he kept it for eternal life. He served the Lord and so he followed him to the end till death. He trusted unswervingly in our God who can provide us with every blessing in abundance for every good work. Therefore, he abounded in every act of charity and generosity toward the poor.
2. He cooperated joyfully with the God who supplies seed to the sower, multiplies the resources, and increases the harvest of righteousness. Therefore, he sowed bountifully and also reaped bountifully a rich harvest of holiness and goodness. He was a cheerful giver and so the Lord deeply loved him. Like a grain of wheat that loses itself to live with a new life and bear fruit, so also Lawrence abnegated his self to fill others. Death to egoism in self-denial and life to others in altruism marked his whole life.
3. That is why, as Jesus assured, “where I am, there shall my servant be also; if anyone serves me, the Father will honor him”, Lawrence the servant of the Lord remains in heaven where his master is, and he is honored by the Father, because he served the Son
Direction: Sacrifice and service are the hallmarks of a true disciple of Christ. One who refuses to sacrifice his self-interests and fails to place himself to serve others is an unworthy disciple
(REFLECTION FROM 2020)
Focus: Love for the Lord is all a matter of cultivation and fruition, and this consists in an abundance of sowing and reaping and thus testified in sacrifice and service
1. We celebrate today the feast of St Lawrence. St Lawrence is a much-venerated martyr of Rome of the first century. The words of St Paul in the first reading (2 Cor 9. 6-10) are quite true in his life. He sows bountifully and reaps bountifully. He sows an abundant crop of virtue and value, devotion and charity. He reaps an abundant harvest of loyalty and commitment toward God and sensitivity and generosity toward others.
2. He loved the Lord with passion and with the same passion, he loved the poor. The same burning love led him to offer himself joyfully and fearlessly to be burnt alive for the Lord. That is why he gives his whole life willingly and joyfully even to the extent of shedding his blood for his faith. He is that “grain of wheat” which dies to the self to sprout and produce abundant fruit.
3. Every true disciple of Christ must be the grain which dies to self and sin, rises to new life, grows, and bears fruit in abundance. At no cost, one should be a thorny bush that overpowers the good plant, sucking off the nourishment due to the plant and destroying its growth. Avarice and domination are contrary to discipleship!
Direction: So long as one clings to one’s own self-will and self-interests, one cannot be close to the Lord and become productive. Sacrificing fidelity and joyful giving are hallmarks of a true lover of God
11 AUGUST 2021: DEUT 34. 1-12; MATTHEW 18. 15-20, St Clare
Focus: In a world that is like a battlefield, the solution is not grudge and resentment, or blame and slander, or aggression and retaliation, but forbearance and reconciliation
1. The world of today is in the whirlwind of condemnation and calumny, and revenge and retaliation. A good number finds a vain pleasure in passing judgments on others and condemning them in public. Many harbor a lot of negativity inside and wait eagerly to retort and retaliate.
2. In such a context, today the Lord is inviting us in the gospel for a spirit of fraternal correction, reconciliation, and restoration of the lost link. When someone wrongs, we should not rush to condemn and put them to public disgrace. Rather, we should patiently try to make him realize his fault and win him back. A deep-seated Fraternity should guide us in a process of personal approach, dialogue and persuasion. This is done gradationally, first through a personal confrontation, then with the help of one or two witnesses, and then by the intervention of the church.
3. However, if all these efforts fail, then the next step is dissociation, a distancing from him as a pagan, as an alien, and rival to God. It is in this context comes the importance of the community agreement, prayer intimacy and intercession, and the sacrament of reconciliation. That is why, Jesus says, “if two of you agree about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father”; “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them”. Also, the mention of Moses in the first reading Deuteronomy 34. 1-12 as a singular prophet whom the Lord knew face and face and who was a mighty instrument for God’s mighty power, may point to the aspect of intimacy and power of prayer.
4. The words of Jesus, “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” in a general tone, can indicate a spirit of reconciliation. This may imply that we should not retain or reserve any grudge but should be free and relieved. However, usually, this statement refers to the sacrament of reconciliation, and it is valid as well. For it is in this holy and renowned sacrament that we are at the doors of abundant streams of mercy and reconciliation with God and with others. It is so sad that today many fail to recognize the immense value of this great sacrament.
5. St Clare, the founder of the Poor Clares, whom we commemorate today is a living sacrament of reconciliation through her austerity, piety, and charity
Direction: Many claim to be intelligent and very judicious. But is it not really foolishness to throw away the sacrament of reconciliation, which is the fount of mercy and conciliation?
(REFLECTION FROM 2020)
Focus: Reconciliation is the key to reparation and restoration
1. The gospel presents a fault- situation in a faith community. It brings to us the need for fraternal correction and reconciliation. Perhaps, this can be one opportune and appropriate context to focus a little on the holy sacrament of reconciliation. In the present times, unfortunately, there is a lot of disinterest in the sacrament of confession. In the case of many, it is becoming rather an annual obligation or a festive occasion.
2. The loss of regularity to the Church, the loss of love and value of the sacraments, and the question about the holiness of the priest can be the main reasons for this abandonment. Oh if only the faithful recognize the invaluable treasure grace in this sacrament! It is the God-given “power to bind and to loose” the bondage of sin, the burden of remorse.
3. It is not merely to enlist the sins, but a humble realization of our human fragility and falls. It is a fount of forgiveness and reconciliation in regard to God and others. It is God Himself who forgives and it would be a big mistake if we over-bother about the holiness of the individual priest. We believe and approach the priest to mediate blessings on us; why can’t we then believe him to mediate forgiveness as well?
Direction: We carry often many needless baggage and weights of sin and negativity. Let us get rid of them and make our journey light.
12 AUGUST 2021: JOSHUA 3. 7-17; MATTHEW 18. 21 – 19.1
Focus: When the Lord is with us, we will be able to walk through the troubled waters, and we will be understanding and magnanimous toward others
1. “How many times I should forgive the other?” This is a question posed by Peter in the gospel from Matthew 18. 21f. He is certainly extra generous as he pushes the upper limit to forgive from 3 times of the Jewish tradition to 7 times. Already it is a big stride. But Jesus makes it very clear: “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven”.
2. This clearly implies that forgiveness has no limits. The questions such as how many times? How can I forgive such a huge wrong? How can I forgive such an undeserving fellow? How can I forgive when the other takes it for granted? et cetera should not disturb us much. The issue is not about the quantity of the wrong or the worth of the recipient. The point is about the willingness and readiness, the extent of forgiving from the part of those who forgive.
3. There are no conditions or limits or measures in forgiving. In fact, we need not claim extra credit for forgiving. This does not mean that we are taking away the merit of forgiving. We are certainly aware of how difficult and demanding it is to forgive someone who did us so much harm. It is also difficult especially in a world which exalts a culture of unforgiveness and retaliation.
4. However, there is no choice. We are bound to forgive. The reason is, we ourselves receive so much forgiveness from God and others. As the psalmist says in Psalm 130, “If only you should mark our guilt, Lord, who will survive? But with you is found forgiveness”. This does not mean that we do it out of force or compulsion or fear.
5. Rather, our forgiving should proceed from a genuine sense of gratitude of receiving it unlimitedly, and therefore a deep sense of responsibility for giving it unlimitedly. Besides, our forgiving others also becomes a condition for experiencing God’s own forgiveness; because only those who forgive others will be able to receive and enjoy the grace of God’s forgiveness.
6. There is beautiful imagery for forgiveness in the first reading from Joshua 3. 7-17. Forgiveness is like the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Those who bore it could pass on dry ground through the waters of Jordan. Similarly, those who bear the spirit of forgiveness will carry with them God’s own presence and will be able to walk through difficult paths.
Direction: The promise of God to Joshua continues forever: I will be with you. He never fails to accompany us through His ark of the covenant and that is His mercy to us and our mercy to others
(REFLECTION FROM 2020)
Focus: Forgiveness is not an option but an obligation; it is not a favor done to others at one’s convenience but the essence of a true follower of the Lord
1. We live in a world that is fragmented and tormented by resentment and animosity, revenge, retaliation, and violence. It is torn apart by so many ruptures and discriminations. Various factors such as nation, race, class, color, culture, caste, religion, region, language, status, development, etc. divide the world and the human community. Human relations are so sadly ruled by principles of hatred and unforgiveness. The religions which are supposed to guide their adherents in the path of love, tolerance and fraternal solidarity, seem to fail in this hallowed task. In this prevailing alarming context, a spirit and a life of love and forgiveness has to re-emerge.
2. To forgive is not an option or a favor, done at one’s will and pleasure, but an obligation and duty. Forgiveness is not a matter of single, isolated, scattered acts of forgiving, but more a matter of a stable, habitual manner of reconciling and re-harmonizing. It is a practice, a habit. In forgiveness, questions such as who to forgive, when to forgive, why, how many times to forgive, etcetera do not arise. It is uncalculating and unconditioned.
3. In forgiving, God has placed a ready spring of healing and relieving of the self at our disposal. Forgiveness and reconciliation are possible, only when there is a deeper spirit of gratitude, humility, contrition, and fraternity.
Direction: How foolish we will be to refuse such a reviving fount of forgiveness and reconciliation, and prefer to be pressed down by, and carry on the weight of hurt and negativity!
13 AUGUST 2021: JOSHUA 24. 1-13; MATTHEW 19. 3-12
Focus: The whole beauty and value of all spirituality and relationships lie in one fundamental norm: fidelity. The simplest questions are: how much am I faithful to God? And how much am I faithful to the others, particularly with whom I am linked?
1. Today’s Word of God in both the readings pivot around the theme of “fidelity”. The first reading from Joshua 24. 1-13 narrates in detail about God’s fidelity. God has been faithful to His chosen people Israel in numberless ways. He chose them, not because of their greatness but because of His love. He intervened into their lives with touching attention and care. He liberated them from the mighty yoke of slavery through His mighty hand of wonders. He stood by them and defeated their enemies on their behalf.
2. This fidelity is so abundant and exuberant. That is why through Joshua, God reminds the people, “I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you dwell therein; you eat the fruits vineyards and oliveyards which you did not plant”.
3. In the gospel, Jesus addresses one crucial aspect of this fidelity, and that is marital fidelity. This fidelity is endangered and shattered by divorce. There is a steep rise in divorces and that too, often not for worthwhile reasons. According to human law, divorces are allowed, but not according to divine law.
4. The Catholic Church does not permit divorces, because marriage is an indissoluble communion of two partners. It is not a mere social contract or organized relation between a male and a female. It is a sacrament which means it is sacred and divine. It is a twofold covenant – with God and with each other. It is God who joins the man and woman together. And they become one. Therefore, it requires fidelity and commitment.
5. When the couple loses sight of these aspects of sacrament and covenant, the hardness of the heart and infidelity increase. In the religious life too, this fidelity shows itself in “making themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven”. In other words, whoever does not keep himself a eunuch (renouncing physical potency in chastity) is breaching the covenant of fidelity.
Direction: Whether in the ordinary Christian life or consecrated life, fidelity to God and each other is the key principle. While love is its source and strength, piety and chastity are the effects and testimonies
(REFLECTION FROM 2020)
Focus: Our vocation is not a contractual transaction or relation. Rather it is a fundamental Covenant that involves a perpetual Commitment. The dignity of vocation calls for Fidelity to live it.
1. Today we are clearly reminded that for us as God’s children and as Christ’s disciples, the beauty and value of our relationships consists in fidelity. This applies both to relationship with God and with others as well. Quite rightly the first reading reiterates God’s committed fidelity. Even if we are unfaithful, He shall never fail to be faithful.
2. In the gospel too, Jesus drives our attention on to this covenantal bonding and the commitment thereupon. Jesus touches upon one of the crucial and disturbing factors in our modern families, and that is divorce, separation, and remarriage. Society has become so permissible that divorces seem to be an accepted norm, and thus they are numerous and frequent.
3. Surely we do not deny the difficulties and challenges in the married life and agree that it is not always smooth-sailing. But what is very alarming is: marriages have become matters of convenience and self-interest. The sacredness of the sacrament of marriage, and the fidelity and commitment to each other as life-long life-mates, are getting blurred.
4. Less of ego and personality clashes, more of humility to accept one’s defects, more of patience to forbear, to adjust and to persevere, and in sum, more love for the other – will be the healing remedy to restore dignity, stability, and fidelity. In the religious vocation too, fidelity to God (“eunuchs for God’s kingdom”) must be the sole motive and not any other ulterior motives.
Direction: Convenience and interest are the riding criteria, applied to things, and not to persons and relationships. Concern and commitment are to be the ever-abiding and guiding principles.
14 AUGUST 2021: JOSHUA 24. 14-29; MATTHEW 19. 13-15, St Maximilian Kolbe
Focus: More to Jesus, is more of blessing
1. In the gospel, parents bring their children to Jesus, to be blessed by him. But the disciples scold and prevent them, certainly with the good intention not to create a commotion or disturbance to Jesus. And Jesus is very clear that children should come to him, be close to him, and be blessed by him. Yet again he reminds us that being a child to God is the only way to enter the kingdom.
2. Today how many parents take their children closer to Jesus, to the church, to the sacraments, to the spiritual animation? How many parents initiate, motivate, guide, and foster their children in matters of faith and morals? How many of them instill and ignite in their children love for God and enthusiasm for spirituality?
3. In the name of giving the children freedom, and respecting their personal responsibility, are the elders not failing in their responsibility? Are we ourselves not hindering them from Jesus? What a loss it is that our children miss the nearness, the touch, and the blessing of Jesus!
4. In this context, Joshua in the first reading from Joshua 24. 14-29 can be a great example and guide to all the parents and children. Like Joshua, how many parents remind their children of God’s incessant intervention in our lives in love, power, and mercy? How many can tell their children straight that our God is a holy jealous God who will not tolerate defection and transgression of his ways? How many in all firmness can urge their children to fear the Lord, to serve Him in sincerity and faithfulness?
5. How many adults and leaders can challenge the youngsters to discern and choose between the God of fidelity and the world of false gods? And how many can really affirm with conviction like Joshua, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord? How many can assume this undaunted responsibility to lead their families in God’s way even if the whole world is going in the opposite direction? And how many today like those people of Israel can reaffirm our fidelity to God, saying, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods”; “But we will serve the Lord”; “The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey”.
6. Against all the persecution and fear of the Nazi concentration camp, St Maximilian Kolbe whom we commemorate today stood firm in his faith, and in Christ-like love, he offered his own life in the place of another
Direction: We are people of covenant with God. We are made His own children. The way to testify our belonging to Him is to put away the foreign gods, that is, the false values and pursuits, and incline our heart to the Lord
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