14 – 19 MARCH 2022: HOLY MASS REFLECTIONS
14 MARCH 2022: DANIEL 9. 4b-10; LUKE 6. 36-38
Focus: As the children of God and as the disciples of Christ, we are called to imitate and resemble them. This is the only way to testify to our belonging to them
1. All seek models and we need them. But the question is whether they are right and truly imitable or wrong and detestable. And the irony in society is often wrong models are more followed. And models are often associated with excellence in some fields and not necessarily with virtue and character. In other words, the models are not always virtuous or character-people.
2. Thus, we live in a context where there is the influence of wrong models and disconnection between models and virtue. In such a context, today Jesus is proposing to us the greatest and best model to follow. That is God the Father Himself. Jesus specifies also what we must imitate. It is mercy. He admonishes us, “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful”. The first reading from Daniel also highlights this, saying, “To the Lord, our God belong mercy and forgiveness”.
3. Jesus further clarifies what this mercy is. It is a mercy that does not judge, does not condemn. He keeps covenant and steadfast love. He only chastises the people when they go astray. He is never keen on destroying them. He is enormously patient and so gives ample opportunities to His people to repent and return to Him. He is ever generous in His forgiveness and reward.
4. If God is so merciful and forgiving, then what is our duty? The first reading is amply clear about these details. First of all, realize our sinfulness and unworthiness; repent for not obeying the voice of the Lord; for not listening to His servants, the prophets; for rebelling and turning aside from His commandments and rules; for not walking in His laws; for doing wrong and acting wickedly. Realizing and repenting for our infidelity, then seeking His forgiveness.
5. Secondly, live what you experience; give what you yourself receive. If we are not judged and condemned, and if we do not want to be judged and condemned, then do not judge and condemn others. If we are forgiven, then forgive others as well. If God and others are so generous toward us, then we too must be generous to them.
Direction: Let us always bear in mind that we receive as we give; we will get back as we do. Therefore, let us be always just and fair in our measurements toward others. The measure we apply will be the measure that will be applied to us
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021, 01 MARCH)
Focus: True repentance is healing because it removes the weight of sin and shame of guilt. It is not lowering of dignity but regaining the true dignity
The people of Israel plead for God's mercy with true repentant hearts. They recall God's recurrent mercy in spite of their recurrent infidelity. They are conscious of the stark contrast between God’s righteousness and human treachery, between God’s grace and human sinfulness, between God’s fidelity and human disobedience, between God’s forgiveness and human wrongdoing. This awareness is very crucial because it can make us humble and surrendered on one hand, and repentant and determined to change on the other hand. This humble consciousness leads us to focus on God as the source to derive strength and model to imitate. In the gospel, Jesus urges us to inculcate and practice the same spirit of the mercy of God towards others: Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful. What a lofty model we have to emulate! It is nothing less than God the Father Himself. This can indicate to us that our standard and dignity are high, as our target is high. What does this imitation or resemblance with God mean? Four simple practical implications: do not judge others; do not condemn others; forgive others; be abundantly generous towards others. This is in fact the life of witness by contrast, in a world that is judgmental, condemnatory, retaliating, and greedy. Such a merciful way will obtain for us God's own abundant mercies. And it will also spare us from God's just judgment without mercy, because the measure we apply to others, will be the same measure that will be applied to us by God.
Direction: What a pity it is that many unnecessarily carry the burden of resentment, revenge, and retaliation, not realizing that it is self- ruinous!
15 MARCH: ISAIAH 1. 1, 16-20; MATTHEW 23. 1-12
Focus: God is so merciful that He does not abandon us or condemn us in our sin. Rather He is so lenient and waits upon us to repent and renew our lives
1. God never ceases to call us for repentance and renewal. All the more during this holy season of lent, this call is strong and straight. Thus we hear in the first reading from Isaiah, saying, “Hear the word of the Lord… Give ear to the teaching of our God! Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean”.
2. Now what does this mean and imply? We need to remove the evil of our deeds from before His eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
3. In the light of the gospel, this repentance and renewal would mean removing all the traces of hypocrisy. Jesus cautions us against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes. Its forms are manifold: Preaching but not practicing; demanding too much from others but doing very little themselves; making a show to impress others and not out of genuine conviction or devotion; seeking recognition and honour.
4. The greatest antidote is humility, for “the greatest among you shall be your servant”. In simple details, it is to have the mind of a disciple and learner and not a teacher or rabbi; it is to be a brother to others and not to be revered as a father, for we all have only one Father; it is to be an instructee under the one instructor, the Christ, and not projecting oneself as a great instructor.
5. If one cultivates this humility and strives to renew life, then the fruits are enormously great: the Lord will completely wipe away all the stains and weight of sin. The Lord himself assures: even though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
6. This means that the Lord will thoroughly cleanse us and make us pure. Further, if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; you shall be exalted to the heights, for “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted”.
Direction: Let us be aware that pride and hypocrisy are two biggest blocks against repentance and renewal. Let us then cultivate the spirit of humility and of a servant
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021, 02 MARCH)
Focus: God is exceedingly patient and merciful and He is never tired of offering us opportunities to repent and be converted
What a consolation and comforting note it is to hear again and again how infinitely God is patient with us and is boundlessly hopeful about our transformation. God never closes the doors of His love in benevolence and mercy. He is never stuck with our aberrant past but is very hopeful and interested in our sincere present for a reformed future. He never stops offering us numberless possibilities and opportunities to repair our damages, to re-gather what has been scattered, to regain what has been lost, and to recuperate what has been missing. He is so open and flexible, even to the extent of exuberant lenience.
He ceaselessly invites us as He did through Isaiah to wash ourselves clean, to turn away from evil, to cease to do evil, and to hold on eagerly and ardently to good. If we heed to His call and change our ways, then surely He will forgive us, cleanse us and remake us as sane and bright. If not, we ourselves will bring judgment upon ourselves and perish.
For this repentance and change, the biggest block is hypocrisy, as that of the Pharisees. It is preaching but not practicing. It is being rigid and stringent toward others but lenient and loose towards one's own self. It is seeking recognition and making a show of devotion without interior depth. In contrast, what is required is humility to acknowledge one's own weakness and unworthiness; and the docility to be totally open to God to receive His healing touch.
Direction: God may readily forgive the weak but humble, but He will detest the hypocrites that pretend to be strong but self-conceited.
16 MARCH 2022: JER 18. 18-20; MATTHEW 20. 17- 28
Focus: We are living in such a world where often good is repaid with evil; sacrifice is repaid with ingratitude and harm. In the face of such experiences, what is needed is a spirit of surrender, sacrifice and service
1. The life of a disciple of Christ is for sacrifice and service. It is not something new or out of the way. It is the same with the master. Jesus too lived a life of sacrifice and service. He sacrificed many things in life and spent his whole time and energy serving others. He declares, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”. Yes, he had to pay a heavy price for his commitment. He had to face opposition, persecution, suffering, and even death.
2. The same was the fate of the prophet Jeremiah as we see in the first reading. The very people for whom he struggled hard and pleaded with God would turn against him and plot to kill him. The life of a disciple is not meant for comfort and convenience.
3. It does not go well that a disciple of Christ seeks power and position, honour and glory. A disciple does not lord or boss over others. Rather, he manifests an attitude of a servant: Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.
4. In the gospel the mother of sons of Zebedee approaches Jesus to grant the two best seats beside him for her sons. This episode typically represents the situation of the church authorities of our own times. There is so much craving and fighting for power and position. Domination replaces humility. Lording over dominates obeying. Being served becomes a status-symbol in the place of serving others.
Direction: The religious authority is also getting tainted by worldly authority. There is so much manipulation and domination. It is the high time to do a thorough self-check and recapture the spirit of sacrifice and service
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021, 03 MARCH)
Focus: Standing for God and for good will not exempt anyone from affliction and persecution, but it is inevitable.
Can one imagine the piercing anguish and legitimate frustration of Jeremiah at his people's acting toward him! His heart languished for them. He pleaded persistently with God on their behalf to spare them. Now it is these very people who denounce and calumniate against him, betray him and plot to kill him even. Apparently, evil seems to be the recompense for all his good, and this is really frustrating. The same is the case with Jesus in the gospel. The mental agony of Jesus too is not much different from Jeremiah's. What pains Jesus so much is not so much a physical lot of his passion and death. But, rather it is the infidelity and betrayal of the very people for whom he struggles.
In simple psychology, his constant reference to his suffering is a simple way of preparing himself mentally to meet such eventuality. It is also a way of shattering the disciples' false ideas and illusions about his power and kingdom. The worldly ambition and the request of the mother of sons of Zebedee is a clear sign of such shallow understanding of Jesus' role and mission. Perhaps, we may get annoyed with such a false perspective of them. We may blame them for their worldliness. But what is better is to understand this instance as a corrective for all. It is not just the case of the sons of Zebedee. Anyone and every one of us is certainly infected by the same sting of worldly interests and temporary gains. All are prone to evade suffering and seek glory. All want to ride high and not to bend low. In such a context, we should deeply bear in mind that suffering alone is the path to glory, and the following of Jesus necessarily involves the way of struggle. The kingdom of Jesus is not a domain of worldly power for domination and being served. It is a reign of serving others in humility.
Direction: Many authorities of today seem to be busy with giving others many directives, forgetting the essential corrective that all power is for service in humility.
17 MARCH 2022: JER 17. 5-10; LUKE 16. 19-31
Focus: There is always a contrast between being blessed and being cursed. This difference is on the basis of where do we place our trust. Trusting in God makes one blessed while trusting in things makes one cursed
1. For sure, everyone wants to be a blessed one and not a cursed one. But the whole problem is how one understands blessedness and cursedness and how one pursues the path that leads to them. In fact these are two modes of being and living, namely being blessed and being cursed. They are fundamental to human living and are mutually contrasting. They also determine the whole meaning and the direction of life.
2. Sadly, in spite of all intelligence, the world equates blessedness with worldly abundance, pleasure, and success; and cursedness with deprivation, failure, and misery. In simple words, those who have plenty of money and things, those who dictate others, those who enjoy comforts and pleasures are considered blessed. On the other hand, those who are poor, those who struggle in life, those who are low in status and are under some others, and those who cannot have even the minimum joys of life are rated cursed and despicable.
3. But today’s readings dismantle this thinking of the world. True blessedness is placing trust in God. And cursedness is placing trust in the world and its things. The blessed are like the tree planted by water. It is deeply rooted, fresh, healthy, blooming, and fruit-bearing. The cursed are like a shrub in the desert. It is dry, barren, and fruitless.
4. The gospel elaborates this contrast between being blessed and cursed by a touching parable of a rich man and poor Lazarus. In the sight of the world, the rich man is blessed because he lacks nothing and enjoys everything. But in the true sense, he is cursed because he places excessive trust in his riches. He is like the dry and useless shrub. In the sight of the world, the poor Lazarus is cursed because he is miserable. But he is truly blessed because he places his total trust in God. He is deeply rooted in God and blossoms with God’s own freshness.
5. The gospel adds another essential feature to this contrast, and that is sensitivity toward others. Accordingly blessed are those who are sensitive and generous toward others; cursed are those who are selfish and indifferent toward others. The rich man is cursed because he failed in his fraternal duty toward the poor man.
6. Their fates are also contrasting. The rich man is condemned to the fire of hell; the poor Lazarus is rewarded with heaven. While on earth, the rich man enjoyed but in heaven, he suffers. While on earth, the poor Lazarus suffered but in heaven, he enjoys heavenly bliss. There is another interesting detail to note. The poor man has a name but the rich man’s name is not mentioned. This indicates something profound: the poor are “counted” in the sight of God. They have a special identity.
Direction: Those who are worried only about the worldly and temporary riches and enjoyments are certainly cursed. They will be liable to God’s judgment
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021, 04 MARCH)
Focus: Those who place their trust in the worldly things and spend all their time and energies over the temporal pursuits and interests will meet a fateful destiny
The first reading from Jeremiah declares one of the most fundamental principles and contrasts of life: Trusting in one's own self and the world, and on the other hand, trusting in God. Trusting in self or the world and investing and consuming all the energies over self and worldly interests, may bring temporary profit and satisfaction. But the end is disastrous. Not only the end but also the way towards the end: Those who vainly pursue the human and earthly concerns, are like a bush in the desert, dry and barren and eventually drained and dead; but those who are oriented to God in trust and loyalty are like the plant by the streams, evergreen and fresh, ever flourishing and productive. The same theme of the fateful end of trust in one’s own self and the world is powerfully illustrated in the gospel by the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus. The problem here is not the matter of having more riches. But, the real problem is placing too much trust in the things of the world. It is the neglect of God and total lack of sensitivity and concrete concern toward the needy. The rich man was totally tied up with his own self, his self-comfort, and enjoyment. He could not rise up to God, or at least could not reach up to the poor Lazarus. Hence, the ends are reversed: the high rich man languishes in the bottoms and the low Lazarus enjoys in the heights. This parable is a clearest mirror of our own society. We live in a society that is steeped in abyssal indifference and selfishness. It is no more a story of a certain rich man in the gospel, but is the replica of the live heights of unconcern and insensitivity.
Direction: One reaps what one sows. We cannot expect to reap a rich harvest of real joy if we have planted a scanty crop of goodness, whether on earth or in heaven
18 MARCH 2022: GEN 37. 3-4, 12-13A, 17B- 28A; MATTHEW 21. 33-46
Focus: The world of today is torn apart by so much malice. At the root are greed and envy. One cannot see and tolerate the good of the other, and one cannot think and follow other than the good of one’s own self
1. There is so much evil and malice in our world. This causes enormous destruction. It destroys life in all its senses. People are killed; the beauty, the value and the dignity, the joy and peace of human life and human person are destroyed because evil destroys the good. The two stories in both readings show this destructive effect of evil.
2. In the first reading from Genesis, the brothers of Joseph sell their own brother into slavery. In the gospel, the tenants of the vineyard maltreat and kill the master’s servants and finally his own son. Joseph’s brothers become malicious because of jealousy. The tenants become evil because of greed. Thus jealousy and greed lead to the heights of evil.
3. Both the stories point to the evil conduct of the people of Israel. Particularly, Jesus is the Joseph and the son of the owner of the vineyard in the two stories respectively. He becomes the target of the evil and envy of the Jews. They cannot tolerate his rising popularity. They cannot accept him challenging their shallow legalism and hypocrisy.
4. All the more, they cannot bear that he challenges their authority, undervalues their knowledge and credibility. They cannot digest the fact that he becomes the champion of the poor, the sinful, and the despicable in society. Much more, it is just intolerable when he exalts those low class people over and above them. This reversal and subversion is highly inflammable.
5. This story of envy, greed, and evil is not only a thing of the past. It is a present reality. Immense harm is being done because of greed and envy. We too succumb often to their onslaughts. Therefore, we need to become more conscious and cautious about the sad fate they would bring upon us. All those who are envious and avaricious and act maliciously will incur God’s wrath.
6. “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons”. “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits”. Failures in fidelity and especially in the fraternity will not go light in God’s sight.
Direction: One cannot obtain God’s grace by force. One cannot force one’s entry into the kingdom of God by mere allegiance to a religion or by mere observance of some laws and activities. Ultimately all depends on one’s openness and fruitfulness
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021, 05 MARCH)
Focus: The more we give in to evil inclinations and actions, the more we lose our humaneness and become liable to a strict divine justice
Jealousy, greed, and malice destroy the goodness of the human soul, throw him into the abyss of evil intentions and finally lead to enormous damage to others. The human history from its very beginnings bears ample testimonies to this play of human perversions. The story of Joseph in the Genesis and the story of the wicked tenants in the gospel are vivid examples to the ugly heads of jealousy, greed and malice. The brothers of Joseph are consumed by the fire of jealousy; they totally forget their fraternal bond and responsibility toward Joseph. The tenants in the gospel are consumed by greed. They forget the fact that they are only tenants and not the owners. They overstep! They completely lose sight of the benevolence of the owner toward them. They fail to be grateful. They fail in their duty of being accountable and render to the owner what is his due. They covet the master's property. They become so malicious to plot and kill all who are a threat in achieving what they desire.
The world of today is no different from those times. Perhaps, it may be even worse. How deplorable it is that the heights of knowledge and progress have not cleansed man from the diseases of jealousy, greed and malice! What a sea of offense, violence, and destruction is created, because of malice, rooted in jealousy and avarice!
Direction: Only a few realize that jealousy, greed, and malice are devilish and are self-destructive and utterly detestable before God
19 MARCH 2022: 2 SAM 7. 4-5a, 12-14a, 16; ROM 4. 13, 16-18, 22; MATTHEW 1. 16, 18-21, 24a, SOLEMNITY OF ST JOSEPH
Focus: What is frightening in our present society is a steep injustice in various spheres. And what is all the more saddening is all this injustice goes on in the disguise of justice
1. Today we celebrate the solemnity of St Joseph. Just in December 2021, we had concluded the year of St Joseph. Certainly, a lot of reflections were offered about St Joseph. He received more attention and appreciation. Some might have grown in their devotion to St Joseph too. But the question always remains how many are touched, affected and changed by his life?
2. Concretely, two terms or adjectives are alternatively used to describe the character of St Joseph. He was a “just” man or a “righteous” man. In the light of the Bible, to be just and righteous means to be a morally integral person; to be a person of character and values; to be correct and upright in his dealings with others; not to act wrongly toward anyone.
3. In other words, it means to be blameless and clean before God and also right and benevolent toward others. In biblical terms, it is one who is turned away from evil and one who is ever loyal to God’s statutes and commandments. A just and righteous person is one who obeys the voice of the Lord, walks in His ways, and is intensely merciful and generous toward others.
4. Joseph was exactly that. He was always docile to the voice of the Lord. That is why as soon as he realized God’s plan in Mary’s virginal conception, he promptly obeyed God’s will and gave up his decision. And even when Mary’s infidelity was so evident in human sight and thus she deserved to be denounced, yet he respected Mary and safeguarded her honour. He was more concerned for her right to a woman’s dignity and not a husband’s prestige.
5. How often our justice is so unjust because it bothers only about individual rights and self-interests? How often our righteousness is unrighteous because it is nothing but self-righteousness? How often we may appear to be moral and just in the sight of the world but not really interiorly clean and pure in the sight of God?
Direction: St Joseph the just and righteous man must be a challenge for all of us who clamour for justice and claim to be just. Often it is a sham and shallow because it is without the essence of charity and benevolence
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021)
Focus: A true believer sees with his optic of faith that in his life, things do not happen by chance but by choice of God in accord with His eternal plans
1. St Joseph! What a great, simple, humble, noble, and faithful saint he is! Spouse of Blessed Virgin Mary, Foster father of the Saviour, Head of the Holy Family, patron of the universal church.
2. Some main features of St Joseph:
1) Purity of heart (lily)
2) Intimacy with Jesus (child Jesus on the bosom)
3) Longing and searching for the Lord (Jesus, lost and found in the Jerusalem temple)
4) Protecting and guarding Jesus (flee to Egypt to escape from Herod's cruelty)
5) Responsible, diligent, and dedicated toward his work and care for the family (carpenter)
6) Docile and recollective (silent worker; no single word spoken by him; doing everything silently without any show or seeking recognition)
3. In the light of the OT: Joseph is a just man. Who is a just man? One who fears God, one who turns away from evil, one who is blameless, and one who is upright
4. In the light of the gospel, and in contrast to the world's mentality:
Joseph is characterized by a single quality as "just" man. In a world where being just and standing for justice are very often understood and presented in a very shallow way, Joseph stands as a model, example, inspiration, and challenge for true and perfect justice.
5. Justice is not a mere concern and fight for rights, of one's own or of an interested group. It is not crushing or suppressing others' rights. To be really just also means to be conscious of duties as well, to be conscious of the rights of others.
6. Joseph was just, because he did not think of his rights as a husband (to denounce Mary publicly for her divine conception) but thought of Mary's right (as a woman of dignity and honour not to be subject to public shame)
6. Joseph was just because he did not think of what is right for him but for Mary. He did not stick to his own opinion, idea, reason, and judgment. Rather he gives room for what can be the thinking and situation of Mary.
7. He was just because he did not cling to his own plan and decision to denounce Mary but surrendered to God's will and accepted Mary back as his spouse.
Blessed are we to venerate him with devotion! But still blessed shall we be if we imitate him as well with dedication!
Direction: True justice is not a mere clamour for individual rights or a group's, leading to conflict and suppression of some others. Justice is dry when is devoid of charity
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