06 – 11 DECEMBER 2021: HOLY MASS REFLECTIONS
06 DECEMBER 2021: ISAIAH 35. 1-10; LUKE 5. 17-26 (St Nicholas)
Focus: In a life that is tormented by so much infirmity and deformity, of various kinds, we all need healing; we need a new lease of life. That is possible only with God
1. Jesus heals a paralytic in the gospel. But in healing, he utters not only words of physical healing, but also words of forgiveness. He says, “Your sins are forgiven”. That invites a lot of criticism from his opponents and they blame him for blasphemy. Thereby, Jesus makes it very clear that what is more important is inner healing, spiritual healing, healing from sin.
2. Sin paralyzes us and so we need to be reactivated and rejuvenated from our passivity and tepidity. Jesus says, “Rise and walk; go home”. We need to rise from our spiritual paralysis. We need to walk actively in the path of the Lord. We need to go home – to be reconciled and reunited with the Father and also to be in affable and benevolent relationships with our brethren.
3. Thus, the healing that Jesus brings is not merely a physical act. It affects the whole life and person. It brings a new life. It restores the lost dignity, energy, and joy. This is exactly the messianic gift – a holistic healing and a renewed joy. Jesus in this way becomes the fulfillment of the messianic prophecy in the first reading from Isaiah: “The eyes of the blind are opened, the ears of the deaf are unstopped, the lame shall leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy”.
4. Truly, Jesus, the Messiah “strengthens the weak hands, makes firm the feeble knees. Sorrow and sighing flee away, and joy and gladness shall flow”. The dry land and wilderness shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom. They shall turn into springs and streams of water, and produce. Yes, Jesus makes a total difference in our lives, if only he is allowed to enter into our life, take control of it and direct it. With him in control, things will not be the same.
Direction: Let us constantly listen to the assuring words of God, “Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance against evil, with recompense. He will come and save you”
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2020)
Focus: The Lord constantly comes into our lives to save us. He transforms our situations of sickness into health, aridity into springs, weakness into strength, and sadness into joy
The tone of comfort and renewal is very strong in all these days of holy Advent. Especially, the first readings from the prophets resound this spirit of assurance. God is coming to save us. He is entering into our lives. He sees our life, saddled with fear and dryness. There is sickness, weakness, deprivation, tiredness, and hopelessness. The charm and the joy of life are missing. Consequently, the quotient of faith is deeply shaken and reduced. It is in such times the Lord is inviting us to rekindle our faith. This is the faith, seen in the friends of a paralytic and appreciated by Jesus in the gospel. Jesus is in a house on his teaching and healing ministry. There is a paralytic, carried by his friends. They find it not possible to approach Jesus due to the crowd. So they make a way through the roof and lower him straight in front of Jesus. Jesus praises their faith and heals him. But what is strange here is, he declares, “Your sins are forgiven”.This is very objectionable because only God has the power to forgive sins. Does Jesus equate himself with God? This is a blatant blasphemy, and it is a very good weapon for his opponents to accuse him and persecute him. By this healing and forgiving, Jesus brings home a couple of significant truths: first, his communion with the Father and his divine authority to forgive sins. Second, spiritual health, healing from sin is much more important than merely physical health, and Jesus is really concerned about it. Third, every sin certainly causes suffering, though every suffering is not necessarily because of sin. Therefore, we must approach the Lord with faith, so that we truly experience health and joy.
Direction: Let you not lose your heart at the sight of the power of sin, and its pervasive evil effects. Have faith in him, present yourself to his merciful presence, and get healed. It is worth making space in the roof of our hearts and reaching directly in front of him!
07 DECEMBER 2021: ISAIAH 40. 1-11; MATTHEW 18. 12-14
Focus: The operating principles of God are totally in contrast to those of the world. Judgment and condemnation, hardness, and unforgiveness are the ways of the world. But tenderness, forgiveness, and restoration are God’s ways and marks
1. Jesus presents himself as the good shepherd. But this shepherd is a totally different class. He does not abandon the strayed sheep to its fate, he does not condemn it for its fault. He abandons the ninety-nine sheep, exposing them to risk from the wild animals. He goes in search of the lost sheep. When he finds it, he rejoices and carries it back.
2. The point here is not the logic or wisdom of leaving the ninety-nine. The focus is on God’s forgiving and condescending mercy. There is no rejection or condemnation on the part of God. It is never the will of God that anyone should be lost or perish.
3. The vivid picture of God as a shepherd in the first reading from Isaiah comes very much alive and tangible in Jesus. “He feeds his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young”. Truly he comforts his people. He pardons the iniquities of his people. He announces good tidings to them those who are afraid and afflicted.
4. It is this image of God that we need to transmit to a world that is sick with aggression and retaliation on one hand and fear and depression on the other hand. The world needs a healing God, a caring and self-giving God. The world desperately needs good tidings, the gospel of comfort and confidence.
5. Therefore, we as people of God should be the heralds and the emissaries of God. We need to prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness, make straight the paths in the desert. Lift up the valleys, lower the hills and mountains. Level the unleveled and smoothen the rough places.
Direction: Convince the world which is accustomed to shallow promises that the word of our God will stand forever. The grass withers, the flower fades but God’s assurance abides
08 DECEMBER 2021: GEN 3. 9-15, 20; EPH 1. 3-6, 11-12; LUKE 1. 26-38, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Focus: The sinless God incarnates himself through stainless virgin so as to redeem the sinful humanity
1. Today we celebrate the great festivity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a dogma of faith that she was preserved from the stain of sin from the moment of her conception itself. God preserved her as immaculate as she was to be the mother of the incarnate Son of God. It is God’s unique grace and it is quite valid that the sinless Son abides in and lives with and is groomed by the sinless mother.
2. Immaculate Conception is both a gift and a task. It is a gift because it is a singular privilege bestowed on Mary on account of His Son. It is not something which is due to Mary by right. Rather, it is a gratuitous gift. However, it is also a task. That which she has received from God must be preserved intact lifelong. She always lived a life that is worthy of her honor.
3. If the reception of the grace of Immaculate Conception was a gift, preservation of it was a task. This is exactly like her divine Son. By his divine nature, he was sinless. But by his human nature as incarnate God, he had to ceaselessly struggle to remain sinless. Similarly, Mary too though gifted with this immaculateness, still was tasked with upholding it.
4. Mary’s Immaculate Conception is a clear indicator of the secret of Mary’s purity and holiness. She remained pure and immaculate because of her intense and inseparable intimacy and union with her divine Son. Thus, the picture is very clear: when one is holy, one will be pure and immaculate. But one can be holy only when one is profoundly united with the Lord.
5. We can also say in other words. Mary was immaculate because she was always the abode of Jesus. Till his birth, she bore him in her womb. After his birth, she bore his spirit in her life. Thus, she was a bearer of Jesus always. Therefore, those who bear Jesus will surely be immaculate.
6. Mary being pure, immaculate, and holy will be a sure guide, companion, and support for us in our journey too of immaculateness. In the words of the second reading, this is our very destiny: To be holy and blameless before him.
Direction: God wants us to be holy and blameless. In other words, He wants us to be pure and immaculate without the stain of sin. This is possible only in deep intimacy and communion with God. A heart that is an abode of God will surely be immaculate!
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2020)
Focus: To be immaculate is to consecrate oneself to God and to concentrate whole life on God
1. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was officially defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854. It refers, not to the immaculate conception of Jesus in Mary's womb, but refers to the "immaculate conception of Mary" in her mother's womb.
2. The Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race was preserved free from any stain of original sin, and was in the state of sanctifying grace. Therefore, the angel Gabriel said: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28)
3. Even if all are thrown into the situation of sin, and all are exposed to sin, yet she has been preserved by God from its stain.
4. She is without sin, by the grace of Christ in a special way, by anticipation. A simple metaphor can clarify the point of her "rescue". All are saved by Christ from the deep pit of sin, having fallen into it; while Mary was saved by Christ from the same pit, but was prevented from falling into it.
5. Therefore, the Immaculate Conception of Mary provides us with some lessons:
1) Even though Mary was preserved from sin, she still had to struggle constantly to preserve and bear witness to it. Immaculateness was a free gift, but she had to constantly strive to deserve it. Therefore, the Immaculate Conception of Mary also calls us for constancy and consistency in our struggle against sin, in preserving ourselves from the stain of sin and in the state of purity of grace. It is not for a moment, or for some days, but for life, from the womb to the grave.
2) The Immaculate Conception of Mary reminds us and guides us in our destiny. It is God's will and plans that we live and stand before him as holy and blameless. God conceived us immaculately in his eternal destiny. The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a powerful sign that God is serious about His saving plan and has already begun it in Mary.
3) The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a powerful call of the hour, against impurity. It is a call for a struggle of life full of the grace of purity, against the overwhelming assaults of sin. Especially in our times when innocence or immaculateness are considered ignorance or madness or incompetence, where distortions and cunningness are exalted as the "craft of the day", and the norm of life, we are called children of the Immaculate Mother, to fight to keep us not polluted by sin and to preserve ourselves pure and immaculate.
4) The way of surrender is the way of being immaculate. Mary shows us the way to be holy and blameless with her way of surrender. Mary in her total abandonment to God, from the initial act of response to the end, throughout her life, fully lives the grace of the Immaculate Conception.
5) Mary in her immaculate conception is also a comforting assurance for us, who will be our guard and guide, companion, and collaborator in the same search for holiness and salvation. Of course, the power of sin and the forces of evil will never be dormant. But Mary instills in us trust and courage, hope, and a resolution, comfort, and support that with her and in abandonment to God, we will never lose the battle.
6) The Immaculate Conception is a call for an integral holistic life: We do not love sin; We do not conceive sin; We do not accept sin; Let us not be deceived by sin; Let us not be enchanted by sin
7) Living without sin is possible only when we live with the Son.
Being immaculate is only possible when we live in intimacy with God, cooperate with his plans, rejuvenate his life in us, lovingly associate with the Mother, and imitate the Son.
Direction: Beauty of life consists only in purity of heart and propriety of action.
09 DECEMBER 2021: ISAIAH 41. 13-20; MATTHEW 11. 11-15
Focus: God never ceases to assure us of His unfailing love and mercy toward us. He assures us that He would transform our desperate situations into joyful and productive experiences through His intervention
1. In the gospel, first Jesus praises John the Baptist as “the greatest of all born of women”. But immediately he praises anyone “least in the kingdom of heaven as greater than John the Baptist”. This is in no way belittling John the Baptist. The emphasis here is on belonging to the realm of the kingdom, on the spiritual birth. John the Baptist was great because already in his mother’s womb, he could encounter the Savior who was in Mary’s womb. He could be moved by the Holy Spirit. He could leap with joy in the vicinity of Jesus.
2. In fact Jesus is showing us the true greatness of John the Baptist. He is great not just because he was miraculously borne in his mother’s womb. Much more, because he encountered already the Savior. He was already anointed by the Holy Spirit. Further, for the sake of the kingdom, he confronted violence and faced death. True to the words of the first reading from Isaiah, he was made a threshing sledge to thresh the people to the right path.
3. Therefore, anyone who encounters Jesus, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and commits himself to the spread of God’s kingdom amidst all violence and destruction will be certainly great in the kingdom of heaven.
4. Thus, it is not a matter of birth or lineage that makes one great. It is not the birth but rebirth. It is not the lineage but belongingness to Jesus. All that is needed is to place total trust in God’s assurance. God promises this: “I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand. Fear not, I will help you”.
Direction: The promises of God should reinvigorate our drooping spirits. The Lord repeatedly says, “Fear not. I will help you”
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2020)
Focus: For those who trust in God, life is never a loss or misery, but is ever a rediscovery of hope and joy
Listen then if you have ears, so ends Jesus today’s gospel passage. Yes, we need the inner ear of faith to constantly listen to what God ceaselessly repeats into our ears. Endlessly he drills into our hearts how much he loves and cares for us, how much he assures us and instills confidence and courage into us. The very same words that he pronounces through his prophet Isaiah to his people are repeated today to all of us as well: “I am the Lord, your God. I strengthen you and tell you, do not be afraid; I will help you”. He knows that we are small and weak. He knows that our enemies, the evil forces are strong, violent and oppressing, and frightening. But it is not our strength that will be in action. It is his unsurpassable power that will prevail over all the hostile forces. He will change the dry land into flowing springs, and deserts into pools of water, and barren land into forest. These are God’s promises. They are never empty or shallow or unreliable like those of men or many leaders. He says to the people of Israel: Fear not, I am your assistance. I will make you a thresher, new and with sharp double teeth. You will thresh hills and mountains, crushing them and reducing them to chaff. You will winnow them. These words apply exactly to John the Baptist. Like Elijah, he lives as a true prophet, passionate, courageous, and faithful. He urges people to repent and to be converted. But from our part, what is needed is to understand this and do our part in humility, courage, and dutifulness like him.
Direction: We are really blessed that we are rated even greater than John the Baptist himself, the greatest born of women, if only we strive sincerely on behalf of the kingdom of God.
10 DECEMBER 2021: ISAIAH 48. 17-19; MATTHEW 11. 16-19
Focus: Those who are self-centered and narrow-minded cannot understand and respect others. because the whole world is what they think and what is convenient for them
1. Accepting and respecting others, working and accomplishing together with others demands a minimum openness and flexibility, humility, and fraternity toward others. Very often such spirit is lacking. Consequently, we find a lot of prejudice, stubbornness, and negativity. This fails to recognize others’ worth and to respect their freedom.
2. This kind of persons expects all others to “dance according to their tunes”. They want the whole world to revolve around their ideas. They demand that all others must walk by their dictates. This is typical of the people of Jesus’ time. In Jesus’ own words, they are like the “children who say to others, “We piped to you, and you did not dance, we wailed, and you did not mourn”.
3. They were so stubborn and negative-minded and so neither the austerity of John the Baptist nor the flexibility of Jesus would satisfy them. They labeled John the Baptist as a possessed man and Jesus as a self-indulgent man. These people do not see the heart or the intention or the goodness or the situation of others. They just want others to think, feel and do what they like.
4. This is the same problem that God has faced in the Old Testament as well. See how God sighs with a pained tone of lament: “O that you had hearkened to my commandments!” It is the same anguish with which Jesus laments and weeps over Jerusalem in Matthew 23. 37-39 or Luke 13. 34-35: “How often have I ‘desired’ to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”. This is the same agony of heart with which he weeps over Jerusalem in Luke 19. 441-44: “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes… you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God”.
Direction: Why does grace fail to bring about any effect and fruit in us? Why does the required change and transformation not take place? It is not the failure or incapacity of God’s grace. It is our failure to be sensitive, receptive, and cooperative
(REFLECTION FROM 2020)
Focus: Prejudice is like a veil that always clouds the vision, mars the way, and deviates one from the right track so that the one who is prejudiced can never see or hear or speak or do rightly
Negative attitudes, prejudice, and obstinacy plague the world of today. Many nurture and carry so much negativity within. Their thought, desire, the intention is all negatively colored. Consequently, they have the wrong way of looking, judging, and acting toward others. They fail to understand others, value and appreciate them for their worth. They suffer from the traps of their own attitude and perspective and they do not see the other side of reality, especially the positive side of others. They make absolute their own ideas and opinions and stubbornly stick to them. These are so pessimistic and negative-minded that nothing can really satisfy them or win their approval and favor. These are exactly like the children mentioned in the gospel today. They sit in the market places, who are perpetual fault-finders and dissatisfied. No flute can gladden them, and no funeral song would arouse mourning solidarity in them. Even if others do the best and the right, they have no appreciation or sensitivity. They always have something to find fault and accuse. John the Baptist was so austere and he was labeled as a possessed man. Jesus was so free and mingling, and he was blamed to be an indulgent and loose man. It is not the fault of John or Jesus. The problem lies with them. It is their attitude and approach that are corrupt. It is these people about whom God rightfully and painfully laments, “Had you paid attention to my commandments”, attention to the best that God teaches them, attention to the right way they must go. If done so, then surely streams of blessings would have flown.
Direction: Often there is an excessive eagerness to change the reality. It is nothing wrong, when it is wrong and when it is possible. But much more than that, one should try to change one’s own attitude and perspective, which are really corroding
11 DECEMBER 2021: SIR 48. 1-4, 9-11; MATTHEW 17. 10-13
Focus: God never ceases to come to us or act in our lives. But very often many do not recognize this. And so they complain or conclude that God is no more active or caring
1. Today’s readings highlight the figure of Elijah. Undoubtedly he was an outstanding prophet. Glorious was his mission and wondrous were his deeds. He stood for God against false gods. He did the work of God amidst all challenges. He was zealous amidst all mediocrity. His fire was burning the hearts. He was a calmer of the wrath of God. He was a restorer of the estranged and strayed. He was the benefactor of God’s abundant blessings to the humble.
2. John the Baptist very much resembles Elijah. In fact, he is the Elijah of the New Testament. Like Elijah, he is fiery with his urge for repentance and conversion. Like Elijah, he is on the mission of restoring all things. But, sadly people did not accept his message. They also did away with him.
3. Similar would be the fate of Jesus as well. He came to restore the lost dignity and the lost relationship with God and with one another. But people did not recognize his divine identity. They were not pleased with his teaching and also his way of life. They felt challenged and questioned. He was a question mark to their hypocrisy and shallow authority. He posed a threat to their compromising and dichotomous life.
4. Therefore, they would reject him, persecute and kill him. What is our response and responsibility in the face of their fate and destiny? It is not only knowing about their mission and the eventual fate meted out to them. It is not only to feel sad about their sad end. It is not only to feel angry and condemn them.
5. Our duty will be to think about own selves. How often do we too fail to know and recognize Jesus and also various other prophets? How often do we take for granted God working in and through them? How often do we neglect and even reject God’s invitation for repentance and transformation?
Direction: Be restored! This can be one recurrent message of the holy Advent. Yes, it is the right time to restore our broken grace, broken virtue, a broken relationship with God, and our broken loyalty to Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment