8 – 13 AUGUST 2022: HOLY MASS REFLECTIONS
08 AUGUST 2022: EZEK 1. 2-5, 24-28c; MATTHEW 17. 22-27, ST DOMINIC
Thrust: Are we free or bound?
Indicative: We are free children of God and so not bound by the fetters of sin. Therefore, we must conduct ourselves as aliens to this world and also as bound by certain duties
1. The gospel passage combines two reference points. One is a prediction about his passion, death, and resurrection. The other is the question of tax-pay. Obviously, both seem to be quite divergent and separate topics. But there is one underlying theme. That is the question of true freedom and obligation.
2. Jesus suffers suffering and death to free us from the bondage of sin. His suffering and death are clear signs that he does not succumb to the pressure and power of evil. His resurrection is a testimony that he has conquered sin and obtained liberation.
3. Whether to pay the taxes or not to the state was the question. In one sense, Jesus and his team are tax-free because they are the sons of the soil. They are the chosen people. They are the inheritors of the earth according to the beatitudes. They are the free children of God. They are not bound by the wages of sin. Thus in one aspect of the spiritual sense, they are not bound by the tax.
4. However, from another aspect, they are tax-bound. It is because they are sojourners and aliens. They are the children of God and not children of the world, as heirs of the heavenly kingdom and not of the earthly kingdom.
5. Jesus’ respect for the earthly laws and duties is also appreciable. This is clear when he says, let us pay, not to give offence to the authorities. Here, the point is not whether Jesus is supporting the Roman authority, whether he is accepting the Roman subjugation, or whether he is not instilling the spirit of true freedom of the people of God.
6. This is the spirit of true freedom that St Dominic possessed and exercised. He founded the Order of Preachers, the Dominicans and he worked freely and fearlessly to sustain the purity of faith. He also worked for the origin and spread of the holy rosary.
Imperative: The main point is the spirit of freedom that we need to cultivate and foster as the free children of God and heirs of heaven
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021, 09 AUGUST)
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 payments 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.
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
09 AUGUST 2022: EZEK 2.8 – 3.4; MATTHEW 18. 1-5, 10, 12-14, ST TERESA BENEDICTA OF THE CROSS (EDITH STEIN)
Thrust: Be small to become great!
Indicative: The perspective and the ways of God are always in contrast to the mere human ways. If we belong to God, we must be attuned to God
1. There is always a great desire and search for greatness. But the world has a false concept and means of greatness. This greatness is mostly measured in terms of ability and abundance. It is mostly in terms of physical, material, intellectual, and social power and competence. Thus, strength, money, possessions, power, position, influence, skill, tact, and success are seen as the signs of greatness.
2. Accordingly, greatness is often equated with being superior to others, being placed higher and better than others, and being able to dominate and dictate over others. This is wrong. Jesus proposes before us a different kind of greatness. It is not the greatness of the big and the powerful, but the greatness of the children. He affirms emphatically unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
3. Jesus also clarifies what is this childlikeness. It is essentially being humble. A good child is not puffed up, does not put on airs, and does not act arrogantly. A child is aware of its smallness and littleness, be it in age or experience or maturity or efficiency.
4. Another essential trait of a child is submissiveness and surrender. We find this attitude of obedience in the first reading. God asks prophet Ezekiel not to be rebellious like Israel, but to open his mouth and eat the scroll that He gave. The prophet obeys God’s order. Similarly, a good child readily listens and surrenders to its parent’s direction.
5. Jesus also draws our attention to another characteristic of being a child. It is the fragility, and vulnerability to be easily influenced and led astray. Therefore, this childlike greatness also includes our receiving children. It means that we do not despise people on the basis of external yards of greatness. We accept and treat all with respect. We also take care of those who are weak and liable to go astray.
6. St Edith Stein always strove for this divine greatness. Though a brilliant German Jewish philosopher, she converted to Catholicism and became a Carmelite nun. She was killed in the Nazi gas chambers at Auschwitz in 1942.
Imperative: Often, there is a strong tendency to become great in a worldly way and also to associate with the big and great people. But the Lord calls us to be humble and to associate with the small and the weak
10 AUGUST 2022: 2 COR 9.6-10; JOHN 12. 24-26, ST LAWRENCE
Thrust: Sow and reap a rich harvest!
Indicative: The value and merit of life do not consist in accumulation and self-serving but only in sharing generously and serving unreservedly
1. The feast of Saint Lawrence that we celebrate today is a great lesson about the spirit of self-emptying and self-giving. He loved the Lord passionately. And so as a chief deacon, he offered his whole life in service, caring for the goods of the church and distributing its alms to the poor.
2. True to Jesus’ teaching, Lawrence made himself a “grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies, and thus bears much fruit”. His whole life was constant cultivation of sanctity and virtue, and an abundant harvest of righteousness and good works. Truly he sowed bountifully and so reaped also bountifully. He did everything cheerfully and not out of coercion.
3. He perfectly resembled God. God always abounds His grace in us. He never falls inadequate in supplying, multiplying, sowing, and reaping the seeds for a rich harvest of righteousness. Similarly, Lawrence too always abounded in God’s grace in holiness and goodness.
4. He did not try to protect his life. But he willingly lost it as a burnt offering for the sake of the Lord. Awesome was his spirit of courage and divine joy as he was roasted to death. Through his death, the faith of Christ germinated and flourished true to his prayer for the conversion of the city of Rome while dying.
5. For him, like St Paul, to live is for Christ and to die is also for Christ. Thus, whether living or dying, all is for Christ. Therefore, as Jesus promised, he followed his master to heaven and shared his master’s eternal life.
Imperative: Where there is love, there is no fear. Where there is love, there is passion. Where there is passionate love, there is undaunted fervour and loyalty to the end even at the cost of death.
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021)
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 himself 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 3 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
We celebrate today the feast of St Lawrence. St Lawrence is a much-venerated martyr of Rome of the first centuries. 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. 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 itself to sprout and produce abundant fruit.
Every true disciple of Christ must be the grain that 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 2022: EZEKIEL 12. 1-12; MATTHEW 18.21 – 19. 1
Thrust: Receive and give mercy!
Indicative: In a world that is ridden by negativity and lack of forgiveness, we are called to be carriers and promoters of forgiveness and reconciliation
1. Grudge and revenge became the norms of the day. Understanding, forgiveness, and reconciliation appear to be outdated and signs of weakness. In the light of the first reading, it is a culture and world of rebellion and obstinacy. In such a context, as the children of God, followers of Christ, and members of the holy church, we are invited to spread a culture of mercy.
2. First of all, we need to know very clearly that forgiveness is not a favour that we are doing at our will and convenience. It is a fundamental duty and responsibility. The reason is simple. We ourselves receive so much mercy and forgiveness from God and many others. As the psalmist quite rightly admits in ps. 130, if only God should mark our guilt, who would survive?
3. It is quite unfair that we receive abundant mercy but refuse to give it to others. God will be not only unhappy but also will not forgive us if we do not forgive others. Actually, it is not that God withholds or refuses to forgive us. Rather, whenever we do not have the heart to forgive, we will not be in a position to receive and enjoy the grace of forgiveness.
4. Further, there is no measure or frequency of forgiveness. It means that we cannot ask how much or how many times to forgive. We cannot say that I cannot forgive because it is too big an offence and too many times. There is no such thing as deserving or undeserving. For which of us are really worthy to merit mercy from God or others?
5. To be merciful and forgiving must become a way of being and living and not be limited to some isolated moments or acts. When it becomes a lifestyle, it would change the whole person, and his character and behavior.
6. It is very sad that many people consider revenge and retaliation as signs of power and manliness. In fact, they are signs of weakness. For to react out of anger and grudge is easier than to be patient and restrained. Willingness to forgive shows the spirit of self-mastery and mental equilibrium.
7. It is equally sad that many prefer to go on nurturing so much negativity and unforgiveness. It is an unnecessary and heavy burden. It is really foolish as well to carry such loads of weight and feel pressed down.
8. To such a world, St Clare whom we commemorate today stands as a fount of God’s mercy and compassion. She totally renounces the ways of the world and embraces the tenderness and magnanimity of God. And all this was possible only because of a singular love for God.
Imperative: When the Lord is constantly inviting us to relieve ourselves of all our heavy burdens, why do we stubbornly allow them to cling to us?
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2020, 13 AUGUST)
Focus: Forgiveness is not an option but an obligation; it is not a favour done to others at one’s convenience but the essence of a true follower of the Lord
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, colour, 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.
This very well corresponds to the depiction of the people in the first reading from Ezekiel. It is a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear. They do not also mind the warning about the exile through the symbolic action of the prophet. Similarly, now also, there are many who are least bothered about the various signs which warn us of the dire consequences if one persists in the evil. It is in this prevailing alarming context, that a spirit, as well as a life of love and forgiveness, has to re-emerge.
To forgive is not an option or a favour, 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, etc. do not arise. It is uncalculating and unconditioned. In forgiving, God has placed at our disposal a ready spring of healing and relieving of the self. 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!
(REFLECTION 3 FROM 2021, 12 AUGUST)
1. “How many times I should forgive the other?” This is a question posed by Peter in the gospel of 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 on 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 that exalts a culture of unforgiveness and retaliation.
4. However, there is no choice. We are bound to forgive. The reason is, that 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 for 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.
12 AUGUST 2022: EZEK 16.1-15,60,63; MATTHEW 19. 3-12
Thrust: Fidelity is beauty and stability!
Indicative: Life loses its meaning, value, beauty, and joy when it loses the spirit of fidelity. Fidelity to God and one another is the greatest remedy
1. Covenant and fidelity to it are the underlying themes of today’s word of God. God enters into a covenantal relationship with the people of Israel. Thereupon, He gives them identity, dignity, beauty, prosperity, and commendability. But unfortunately, they turn ungrateful and unfaithful. They trust in themselves and become whorelike.
2. Every marriage is also a covenantal relationship with God and with each other. Today, the stability of marital bond is cracking because its fidelity is shaking. Fidelity is shaking because its sacredness is crumbling. This is because many lose sight of the nature of a covenant. For many, practically, marriage is no more a covenant but a contract that is workable and profitable.
3. It has become a matter of convenience and not commitment. When the essential components of sacredness, covenant, fidelity, and commitment are lost, automatically its beauty, meaning, stability, and joy are lost.
4. The feel-good that exists at the beginning of the marriage evaporates within no time. Ego clashes, hurt feelings, resentments, unbridled reactions, and retaliatory acts increase as the days and years pass. Aggression or depression, agitation or indifference, arrogance or inferiority seems to be the dominant behavioural patterns that govern many families.
5. We do not say that there are no problems in married life. Surely, the challenges are increasing. But all what we want to say is, that divorces are not the only and immediate solution. If only a little more sense of covenant with God and each other increases, if only a little more patience and humility are practiced, surely there can be a greater fidelity.
6. The same principle of fidelity holds good for the consecrated people as well. They are the “eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of God”. But they are really worth the name if only they remain faithful to their covenantal relationship with God.
Imperative: Fidelity is at the root of all Christian life, be it married or consecrated. When fidelity crumbles, the whole edifice collapses
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021, 13 AUGUST)
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 narrates in detail 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 in 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. 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.
3. 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.
4. When the couple loses sight of these aspects of sacrament and covenant, the hardness of the heart and infidelity increase. In 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 3 FROM 2020, 14 AUGUST)
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.
Today we are clearly reminded that for us as God’s children and as Christ’s disciples, the beauty and value of our relationships consist in fidelity. This applies both to relationship with God and with others as well. How rightly in the first reading, God affirms that we are in the bond of a covenant! This is marked by His committed fidelity. Even if we are unfaithful, He shall never fail to be faithful.
In the gospel too, Jesus drives our attention 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. Surely we do not deny the difficulties and challenges in married life and agree that it is not always smooth-sailing. But what is very alarming is: that 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.
Less of ego and personality clashes, more of humility to accept one’s defects, more of patience to forbear, to adjust and 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 guiding principles.
13 AUGUST 2022: EZEK 18. 1-10, 13b, 30-32; MATTHEW 19. 13-15
Thrust: Go near to Jesus!
Indicative: We need to go near to Jesus, get closer to him, and receive his touch and blessing. For only the touch of Jesus can transform us into little children and take us to the kingdom
1. “Turn and Go to God!” is the call of the word of God today. In the first reading, God summons the house of Israel, “Repent and turn from all your transgressions … make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit… so turn and live”. In the gospel too, Jesus declares, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven”.
2. We can elicit a few indicators for our life: First, we need to become childlike. This means that we should become clean with a new heart and a new spirit. This is a rebirth, being dead to sin, repentant over our iniquities. The more we become like little children, the more we will desire to go to Jesus, and we will have free access to him.
3. Secondly, we need to become aware of our great responsibility to children. Whatever the role, as a parent, a teacher, elder, priest, or religious, all of us have a bounden duty toward children, and that is to lead them closer to Jesus.
4. It is then a big question mark about how many of these remain conscious and serious about their responsibility toward children. How many of us neglect our duty? How many of us hinder them from going to Jesus? These ways of hindering can be varied. It can be due to our own indifference and lukewarmness; our lack of interest and concern for them; our own unedifying life; or our own lack of conviction and sound knowledge.
5. Often, we may just shirk our responsibility saying that the children must not be forced; they must be left free to decide by themselves; their freedom must not be curtailed. But all these arguments may be mostly evasions and escaping from the trouble and sacrifice of training and forming them.
6. There are many who are so concerned to provide the children with everything that they demand, with the best they may or even may not afford. They give them money, clothes, comforts, education, job, marriage, et cetera. But how many really think of imparting them god-fearing nature, and good values? How many train the children in becoming good human beings?
Imperative: All the care and provision to the children without a sound spirituality and morality is very deficient and defective. Lack of divine touch amounts to a lack of human touch!
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021, 14 AUGUST)
Focus: More to Jesus, is more of a 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 of 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. 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?
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 hearts to the Lord
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