NEW YEAR-2011
New Year's Day is the one holiday that is almost universal. It is the world's most observed holiday. People ring out the old year and ring in the new one with lot of expectations. Because we have a lot to achieve in our lives. You've made your New Year's resolutions, one of which is to be in worship at the break of this New year. And so you are here.
Every year we make resolutions but fail to fulfill them completely. But it should not be a cause for dismay. Our very attempt to make progress in life itself is progress. There is a saying: Well begun is half done. The starting impetus takes us a long way, till the first energy weakens.
Pastor Stephen Brown taught swimming and diving for a number of years. He tells about a young boy named Billy. Billy had watched so many professional divers and wanted so much to dive like them that he refused to take time to learn the basics. Time after time Brown tried to help Billy see that the most important thing about diving was to keep his head in the proper position. If his head entered the water properly, Brown explained, the rest of his body would enter the water properly--at least, more properly than it had been. Billy would dive into the pool, do a belly flop, and come up grinning, "Mr. Brown," he would shout, "were my feet together?"
"Billy, I don't care whether your feet were together or not," Brown shouted back. "Make sure your head is straight, then everything else will work out."
The next time Billy would stand on the edge of the pool and really concentrate. Then he would dive and, once again, make a mess of it. "Mr. Brown, were my hands together?"
"Billy," Brown would groan in frustration, "I'm going to get you a neck brace and weld it onto your head. For the hundredth time, if your head is right the rest of you will be right. If your head is wrong, the rest of you will be wrong."
And isn't that true in all of life? If our head is wrong, our marriage will probably suffer. If our head is wrong, our priorities will be fouled up. If our head is wrong, it may even affect our health in a negative way. God understands our distress and God seeks to make us new persons so that we can handle our distress more effectively.
So what we need is to start well and with right perspective. So to be happy we may not need any more resolutions, but a revolution. We need to turn completely around with a new set of attitudes, a new set of motivations, a new set of feelings about life and about others. That means we need to have our head in the right direction, right perspective.
If there is something in our life that distorts our perspective, we need to tear it down. Whatever we built up the past year, if it blocks my vision for a bright future, then, I have to tear it down. Anything in my relationship that does not make but breaks my relation ship with God has to be torn down.
In Thomas Moore's book Meditations, he tells of a pilgrim walking along a road. The pilgrim sees some men working on a stone building.
"You look like a monk," the pilgrim said.
"I am that," said the monk.
"Who is that working on the abbey?"
"My monks. I'm the abbot."
"It's good to see a monastery going up," said the pilgrim.
"They're tearing it down," said the abbot.
"Whatever for?" asked the pilgrim.
"So we can see the sun rise at dawn," said the abbot.
Sometimes our heart may not give us the consent to tear down what looks like fine edifice in our life. But to have the “Son rise” in our life we need to do it.
One main reason we fail to fulfill our promises is that we as humans find it difficult to step out of our comfort zone and make changes to our lives. The only way we can successfully make these changes is by putting our faith in God alone. Only then can we have the courage and discipline to follow through on our resolutions.
Let’s realize that with God we can turn every impossible into possible. The only thing lacking in us is the faith, to turn to God and share his power which Jesus shared with us. Let’s trust the words of St.Paul, If God is with us who can be against us ?
If you have ever been to a circus, you may have seen the huge bull elephants chained to a peg in the ground. Perhaps it has occurred to you that the elephant could easily pull the peg out of the ground and escape. However, he does not try. As a baby elephant he was tied to a huge stake that he could not pull out of the ground. Weeks of pulling and tugging only wore a trench around the stake, and finally he gave up. Now that he is full-grown, with great strength and the physical ability to pull the peg out of the ground, he remembers only the futility of past efforts and does not even attempt to escape. He is conditioned to failure. This is what happens with us. We try a lot of time on our own strength to win trying circumstances. But we failed. And that set of mind we don’t trust in our power, the power we have with God. With God’s strength let’s us pull ourselves free from that bind us down and get us free and walk free in this New year. Let’s not be discouraged at the failure to fulfill the promises of last year. Let’s set new resolutions and trust God to help us through.
The New Year reminds us that time is passing. It is up to each of us to maximize the potential of every moment.
Paul gives us specific directions for living each day. Paul in Philippians says, "Forgetting what lies behind, I strain forward to what is ahead."
Our Gospel today tells us that Mary treasured and pondered all these things in her heart. What events in our lives from the past year do we treasure and ponder about in our hearts? God has given us 84400 seconds a day. Multiplied by 365 days would be 30,806,000 seconds a year. How much of that have I spent in God’s glory ?
And what events do we look forward to in the coming year? How can God be part of the events in my new year…?
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
FEAST OF HOLY FAMILY
FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY. Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 ;: Col 3:12-21;Gosple: Mt 2:13-15, 19-23
By celebrating the Sunday following Christmas as the Feast of the Holy Family, the Church encourages us to look to the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph for inspiration, example and encouragement. This family has come to be called in Christian tradition the Holy Family. It was holy, not simply because the Child born of Mary was holy, and the source of all holiness, but because this particular family put into practice all the wise counsels which the Hebrews had accumulated for happy home life. They were a model family in which both parents worked hard, helped each other, understood and accepted each other, and took good care of their Child so that He might grow up not only in human knowledge but also as a Child of God. The feast of the Holy Family reminds us that as the basic unit of the universal Church, each family is called to holiness. Jesus becomes truly present in a family when all the members live in the Christian spirit of sacrifice. This happens when there is mutual understanding, mutual support and mutual respect. There must be proper care and respect given by children to their parents and grandparents, even after they have grown up and left home. What use is a warm house if the members of the family are cold with one another? The greatest gift that parents can give their children is their love for one another.
The first thing we can do to live a healthy Christian family life is to respect family roles. Just as the natural structure of a tree includes roots, trunk, and branches, so the natural structure of the family includes dad, mom, and children. They all go together and they all need each other in order to bear the fruit of maturity, wisdom, and happiness. The First reading and Psalm paint a beautiful picture of this. Mom and Dad are in charge. Together they have and exercise authority over their children. As the Psalm reminded us, this authority is received from God, and with it comes responsibility. Parents must not abuse their authority, or neglect the love, education in the faith, and training in virtue that they owe to their children. This is their primary mission in life. God is counting on them for this.
Children are to honor and obey their parents while they are growing up, and respect and care for them later on. These are the healthy roles of family life. Children shouldn't act like parents, and parents shouldn't act like children. It's like a triangle. Mom is one side, dad is one side, and the kids are one side. If selfishness breaks one of those sides, the whole triangle falls.
Respecting those roles is not easy in this fallen world. In today's Second Reading, St Paul gives us the foolproof formula for rebuilding the triangle whenever it gets broken nor bent out of shape. It can be summed up in two simple words: I'm sorry. If we know how to say, "I'm sorry," our family relationships can endure and grow even through very, very difficult times.
A senior Judge of the Supreme Court recently congratulated the bride and groom in a marriage with a pertinent piece of advice: “See that you never convert your family into a court room; instead let it be a confessional. If the husband and wife start arguing like attorneys, in an attempt to justify their behavior, their family becomes a court of law and nobody wins. On the other hand, if the husband and the wife -- as in a confessional -- are ready to admit their faults and try to correct them, the family becomes a heavenly one.”
"Put on... patience," St Paul writes, "bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do." There is no way to create an atmosphere of forgiveness without being ready to ask for forgiveness. The best gift we can give our families is to make a commitment to always be the first one to say "I'm sorry" whenever there is the slightest need. We could never do that without Christ's example and help.
To build a healthy Christian family, we have to expect trouble. We are pilgrims on earth. We are soldiers in a real spiritual battle. We are human beings with free will and deep-seated tendencies towards selfishness and sin - and we are surrounded by people with those same tendencies. Today's Gospel described for us a family on the run, suffering, struggling just to survive. If that's what happened to the holiest family in history, surely we should expect some of the same for our families.
God permits hardships, because he knows that hardships can bring us closer to him. St Matthew points out that the flight to Egypt fulfilled a prophecy - it furthered God's plan of salvation. Just so, when we face the hardships of family life with courage, we grow in virtue and glorify God better, because we have a chance to love more heroically. Family life truly is the school where we learn to color in the outline of the image of God in which we were created.
The spirit of cooperation and self-forgetful love can do wonders to help soften the daily trials of those around us. And there is no better way to experience the peace of Christ in our hearts than by helping ease the burdens of those around us.
This is why St Paul encouraged us in the Second Reading to "put on... heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."
Today, let's ask Christ to give us that grace, and let's promise to do our best to put it into practice. No family is perfect, but no better place for raising children has been devised.
As we honor the Holy Family today, let us pray for the grace that our families can really relax and find true love and peace, the kind of love and peace that reigned in the holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
By celebrating the Sunday following Christmas as the Feast of the Holy Family, the Church encourages us to look to the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph for inspiration, example and encouragement. This family has come to be called in Christian tradition the Holy Family. It was holy, not simply because the Child born of Mary was holy, and the source of all holiness, but because this particular family put into practice all the wise counsels which the Hebrews had accumulated for happy home life. They were a model family in which both parents worked hard, helped each other, understood and accepted each other, and took good care of their Child so that He might grow up not only in human knowledge but also as a Child of God. The feast of the Holy Family reminds us that as the basic unit of the universal Church, each family is called to holiness. Jesus becomes truly present in a family when all the members live in the Christian spirit of sacrifice. This happens when there is mutual understanding, mutual support and mutual respect. There must be proper care and respect given by children to their parents and grandparents, even after they have grown up and left home. What use is a warm house if the members of the family are cold with one another? The greatest gift that parents can give their children is their love for one another.
The first thing we can do to live a healthy Christian family life is to respect family roles. Just as the natural structure of a tree includes roots, trunk, and branches, so the natural structure of the family includes dad, mom, and children. They all go together and they all need each other in order to bear the fruit of maturity, wisdom, and happiness. The First reading and Psalm paint a beautiful picture of this. Mom and Dad are in charge. Together they have and exercise authority over their children. As the Psalm reminded us, this authority is received from God, and with it comes responsibility. Parents must not abuse their authority, or neglect the love, education in the faith, and training in virtue that they owe to their children. This is their primary mission in life. God is counting on them for this.
Children are to honor and obey their parents while they are growing up, and respect and care for them later on. These are the healthy roles of family life. Children shouldn't act like parents, and parents shouldn't act like children. It's like a triangle. Mom is one side, dad is one side, and the kids are one side. If selfishness breaks one of those sides, the whole triangle falls.
Respecting those roles is not easy in this fallen world. In today's Second Reading, St Paul gives us the foolproof formula for rebuilding the triangle whenever it gets broken nor bent out of shape. It can be summed up in two simple words: I'm sorry. If we know how to say, "I'm sorry," our family relationships can endure and grow even through very, very difficult times.
A senior Judge of the Supreme Court recently congratulated the bride and groom in a marriage with a pertinent piece of advice: “See that you never convert your family into a court room; instead let it be a confessional. If the husband and wife start arguing like attorneys, in an attempt to justify their behavior, their family becomes a court of law and nobody wins. On the other hand, if the husband and the wife -- as in a confessional -- are ready to admit their faults and try to correct them, the family becomes a heavenly one.”
"Put on... patience," St Paul writes, "bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do." There is no way to create an atmosphere of forgiveness without being ready to ask for forgiveness. The best gift we can give our families is to make a commitment to always be the first one to say "I'm sorry" whenever there is the slightest need. We could never do that without Christ's example and help.
To build a healthy Christian family, we have to expect trouble. We are pilgrims on earth. We are soldiers in a real spiritual battle. We are human beings with free will and deep-seated tendencies towards selfishness and sin - and we are surrounded by people with those same tendencies. Today's Gospel described for us a family on the run, suffering, struggling just to survive. If that's what happened to the holiest family in history, surely we should expect some of the same for our families.
God permits hardships, because he knows that hardships can bring us closer to him. St Matthew points out that the flight to Egypt fulfilled a prophecy - it furthered God's plan of salvation. Just so, when we face the hardships of family life with courage, we grow in virtue and glorify God better, because we have a chance to love more heroically. Family life truly is the school where we learn to color in the outline of the image of God in which we were created.
The spirit of cooperation and self-forgetful love can do wonders to help soften the daily trials of those around us. And there is no better way to experience the peace of Christ in our hearts than by helping ease the burdens of those around us.
This is why St Paul encouraged us in the Second Reading to "put on... heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."
Today, let's ask Christ to give us that grace, and let's promise to do our best to put it into practice. No family is perfect, but no better place for raising children has been devised.
As we honor the Holy Family today, let us pray for the grace that our families can really relax and find true love and peace, the kind of love and peace that reigned in the holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Christmas (Pro-life homily)
CHRISTMAS- (PRO-LIFE)
An 11-year-old boy with cancer lost all the hair on his head as a result of chemotherapy treatment. When the time came for him to return to school, he and his parents experimented with hats, wigs, and bandanas to try to conceal his baldness. They finally settled on a baseball cap, but the boy still feared the taunts he would receive for looking "different." Mustering up courage, he went to school wearing his cap - and discovered to his great surprise that all of his friends had shaved their heads to share their solidarity with their friend. It was their way of expressing their love and sympathy. Christmas announces to us that God showed his solidarity with us by becoming a human being.
First of all, Christmas is the feast of God’s sharing a Savior with us. Jesus was the incarnation of God as man to save us from the bondage of sin. The Hindu Scriptures describe ten incarnations of God “to restore righteousness in the world whenever there is a large scale erosion of moral values.” But the Christian Scriptures teach only one incarnation and its purpose is given in John 3:16: “God so loved the world that he sent His only Son so that every one who believes in Him may not die, but have eternal life.” So the moving force for God to send his son was his intense love for us. Every Christmas reminds us that we still need this Savior to be reborn in our hearts and lives to free us from our evil addictions and unjust, impure and uncharitable tendencies.
But God who created us without our consent does not save us without our consent. And so only by willingly accepting Jesus as one’s savior in one’s life can one be saved. That is the message of Christmas. God seeking cooperation from each one of us to save this world.
God could have chosen to send his son into this world as a grown up adult, capable of fending himself in this world. But instead he chose to send His son as a defenseless human baby born from a simple village girl. All powerful God sought consent of a simple girl to be born in this world. And ever since God seeks our consent to enter into our world. God’s coming to our life does not ensure us of free of troubles. When Blessed Virgin Mary said “yes” to God’s Word, she was saying “yes” to all possible troubles waiting for her in her life. But God was with her to see her through all those troubles.
According to the book of Deuteronomy, a girl becoming pregnant before her wedding was considered to be bringing ignominy and shame to her parents and so were to be stoned to death in front of her father’s house. Mary could have thus merited this punishment and brought death to herself and her unborn son. To save her life and to retain her honor she could have resorted to an easy solution- “abortion” as any woman of today would choose to do when they find themselves in trouble. But Mary did not, because she knew that was God’s will being fulfilled through her life. She knew God wanted her Son to be God’s instrument in implementing God’s plan of salvation. She knew that even before his son’s birth God had named him and called him to be Emmanuel, that means God was with her. The angel had promised her that her Son would save the people from their sins. Mary knew that even though her son was still not yet born, he was God’s son. Because she conceived him not in any ordinary human fashion. The angel did not speak about him as “it”, meaning a thing, as many people today would consider a fetus to be, but as Him, meaning a person. Bible never teaches us that a child is a “thing” which could be disposed of at will as any parasite or a tumor could be. When Blessed Virgin Mary visited St.Elizabeth the baby John the Baptist leapt for joy at the presence of another baby growing in the womb of Mary. Here the Gospel clearly advices us that we should regard a baby in the womb just like a baby already born, with a soul and identity of its own, as a child of God. Most expectant mothers speak to their babies in the womb when they make movements in the womb. Even some husbands try to listen to their unborn babies voices bringing their ears closer to them. Do they really think the unborn babies are just a thing ? No way. Unborn babies react to the moods and emotions of their mothers. God loved us into existence. Each human being is called into existence by God. And that is why we hear God telling Jeremiah, that he called him to do the work of a prophet even from his mother’s womb. Only those who share the view of the blessed Virgin Mary has the right to celebrate Christmas. Those who hold that abortion is ok, for them their savior has been aborted… and their savior is no more alive, because Bl.Virgin Mary had enough reason to abort him.
So Christmas teaches us that life has to be protected at every stage, from womb to tomb, from conception to natural death. This has been the teaching of the Church and it will be the teaching of the church forever. Because Jesus taught us that not a word or iota will be deleted from his word.
Jesus said the evil one comes to steal, destroy and kill. So killing the innocents is Satan’s work. God comes to give life. And give that in abundance. Wicked Herod had destroyed the lives of some innocent babies in the process of trying to eliminate Jesus from the earth. Those who advocate death to unborns are no less wicked that Herod. Jesus had to flee to Egypt to protect his life from the cruel Herod. And he had to settle down in Galilee fearing the cruel successor of Herod, Archalaus. God on the run! Jesus, the Christ, fleeing for his life!... He is running for his life. This happens even today. Those who work to defend the right to life of innocents will find meaning in celebrating Christmas, because it is celebration of the birthday of a baby.
Christmas tells us that God chose to make himself vulnerable. Vulnerable from crib to cross. The vulnerability of Christ is a great thing also because it makes it easier for us to admit our own vulnerability.
The simple little statement about “there being no room in the Inn” becomes a symbol for Luke. As he writes his gospel it almost becomes a theme. Luke takes this one line, "There is no room in the inn," and shows us how this phrase was recurrent throughout Jesus' ministry. The question that Luke leaves for us is--will there ever be any room for him, and his teaching or respecting life in every stage ?, Respecting human dignity irrespective of caste, creed or age or sex or beauty ?
In the fall of 1775, the manager of Baltimore's largest hotel refused lodging to a man dressed like a farmer, because he thought his lowly appearance would discredit his inn. So the man left and took a room elsewhere. Later, the innkeeper discovered that he had turned away none other than the Vice President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson! Immediately he sent a note to the famous patriot, asking him to return and be his guest. Jefferson replied by instructing his messenger as follows: "Tell him I have already engaged a room. I value his good intentions highly, but if he has no place for a dirty American farmer, he has none for the Vice President of the United States."
There was no room for Jesus in the economic world. There was no room for Jesus in the realm of the religious order. There was no room for Jesus in the world of politics.
Let's look at us today--to you and to me. Do we have room for Christ in our lives?
An 11-year-old boy with cancer lost all the hair on his head as a result of chemotherapy treatment. When the time came for him to return to school, he and his parents experimented with hats, wigs, and bandanas to try to conceal his baldness. They finally settled on a baseball cap, but the boy still feared the taunts he would receive for looking "different." Mustering up courage, he went to school wearing his cap - and discovered to his great surprise that all of his friends had shaved their heads to share their solidarity with their friend. It was their way of expressing their love and sympathy. Christmas announces to us that God showed his solidarity with us by becoming a human being.
First of all, Christmas is the feast of God’s sharing a Savior with us. Jesus was the incarnation of God as man to save us from the bondage of sin. The Hindu Scriptures describe ten incarnations of God “to restore righteousness in the world whenever there is a large scale erosion of moral values.” But the Christian Scriptures teach only one incarnation and its purpose is given in John 3:16: “God so loved the world that he sent His only Son so that every one who believes in Him may not die, but have eternal life.” So the moving force for God to send his son was his intense love for us. Every Christmas reminds us that we still need this Savior to be reborn in our hearts and lives to free us from our evil addictions and unjust, impure and uncharitable tendencies.
But God who created us without our consent does not save us without our consent. And so only by willingly accepting Jesus as one’s savior in one’s life can one be saved. That is the message of Christmas. God seeking cooperation from each one of us to save this world.
God could have chosen to send his son into this world as a grown up adult, capable of fending himself in this world. But instead he chose to send His son as a defenseless human baby born from a simple village girl. All powerful God sought consent of a simple girl to be born in this world. And ever since God seeks our consent to enter into our world. God’s coming to our life does not ensure us of free of troubles. When Blessed Virgin Mary said “yes” to God’s Word, she was saying “yes” to all possible troubles waiting for her in her life. But God was with her to see her through all those troubles.
According to the book of Deuteronomy, a girl becoming pregnant before her wedding was considered to be bringing ignominy and shame to her parents and so were to be stoned to death in front of her father’s house. Mary could have thus merited this punishment and brought death to herself and her unborn son. To save her life and to retain her honor she could have resorted to an easy solution- “abortion” as any woman of today would choose to do when they find themselves in trouble. But Mary did not, because she knew that was God’s will being fulfilled through her life. She knew God wanted her Son to be God’s instrument in implementing God’s plan of salvation. She knew that even before his son’s birth God had named him and called him to be Emmanuel, that means God was with her. The angel had promised her that her Son would save the people from their sins. Mary knew that even though her son was still not yet born, he was God’s son. Because she conceived him not in any ordinary human fashion. The angel did not speak about him as “it”, meaning a thing, as many people today would consider a fetus to be, but as Him, meaning a person. Bible never teaches us that a child is a “thing” which could be disposed of at will as any parasite or a tumor could be. When Blessed Virgin Mary visited St.Elizabeth the baby John the Baptist leapt for joy at the presence of another baby growing in the womb of Mary. Here the Gospel clearly advices us that we should regard a baby in the womb just like a baby already born, with a soul and identity of its own, as a child of God. Most expectant mothers speak to their babies in the womb when they make movements in the womb. Even some husbands try to listen to their unborn babies voices bringing their ears closer to them. Do they really think the unborn babies are just a thing ? No way. Unborn babies react to the moods and emotions of their mothers. God loved us into existence. Each human being is called into existence by God. And that is why we hear God telling Jeremiah, that he called him to do the work of a prophet even from his mother’s womb. Only those who share the view of the blessed Virgin Mary has the right to celebrate Christmas. Those who hold that abortion is ok, for them their savior has been aborted… and their savior is no more alive, because Bl.Virgin Mary had enough reason to abort him.
So Christmas teaches us that life has to be protected at every stage, from womb to tomb, from conception to natural death. This has been the teaching of the Church and it will be the teaching of the church forever. Because Jesus taught us that not a word or iota will be deleted from his word.
Jesus said the evil one comes to steal, destroy and kill. So killing the innocents is Satan’s work. God comes to give life. And give that in abundance. Wicked Herod had destroyed the lives of some innocent babies in the process of trying to eliminate Jesus from the earth. Those who advocate death to unborns are no less wicked that Herod. Jesus had to flee to Egypt to protect his life from the cruel Herod. And he had to settle down in Galilee fearing the cruel successor of Herod, Archalaus. God on the run! Jesus, the Christ, fleeing for his life!... He is running for his life. This happens even today. Those who work to defend the right to life of innocents will find meaning in celebrating Christmas, because it is celebration of the birthday of a baby.
Christmas tells us that God chose to make himself vulnerable. Vulnerable from crib to cross. The vulnerability of Christ is a great thing also because it makes it easier for us to admit our own vulnerability.
The simple little statement about “there being no room in the Inn” becomes a symbol for Luke. As he writes his gospel it almost becomes a theme. Luke takes this one line, "There is no room in the inn," and shows us how this phrase was recurrent throughout Jesus' ministry. The question that Luke leaves for us is--will there ever be any room for him, and his teaching or respecting life in every stage ?, Respecting human dignity irrespective of caste, creed or age or sex or beauty ?
In the fall of 1775, the manager of Baltimore's largest hotel refused lodging to a man dressed like a farmer, because he thought his lowly appearance would discredit his inn. So the man left and took a room elsewhere. Later, the innkeeper discovered that he had turned away none other than the Vice President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson! Immediately he sent a note to the famous patriot, asking him to return and be his guest. Jefferson replied by instructing his messenger as follows: "Tell him I have already engaged a room. I value his good intentions highly, but if he has no place for a dirty American farmer, he has none for the Vice President of the United States."
There was no room for Jesus in the economic world. There was no room for Jesus in the realm of the religious order. There was no room for Jesus in the world of politics.
Let's look at us today--to you and to me. Do we have room for Christ in our lives?
Saturday, December 18, 2010
IVth Sunday of Advent
IVth Sunday of Advent.: Is 7: 10 – 14,: Rom 1: 1 – 7;Gosple: Mt 1: 18 - 24
Over 100 years ago Father Damien, a Belgian priest, began working with lepers on a small Hawaiian island. Each Sunday Father Damien would begin his sermon with these words: "You lepers know that God loves you." This went on for years. Finally, one Sunday Father Damien began his sermon this way: "We lepers know that God loves us.” Father Damien had contracted leprosy. Yet he went on loving and serving until his death in 1898. Even as Father Damien cast his lot with the lepers, Jesus, Emmanuel, invested himself totally with us sinners. "He was bruised and wounded for our sins. He was lashed, and we were healed." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel"( Mt 1: 22-23). The birth of Emmanuel was the fulfillment of God’s promise. In all, Mathew quotes 12 fulfillment prophecies.
Human parents are careful about naming their children. They want the name to mean something, to signify how important this new life is to them. God the Father was also careful about naming his Son. He didn't leave it up to chance or to Mary and Joseph's creativity. He chose it himself, and sent an angel to announce the choice to Mary and Joseph.
In the Old Testament, God often changed people's names, mostly when someone was given a special mission in salvation history - like Abram and Jacob. When God changed their names to Abraham and Israel, the meaning of the name signified their role in God's plan. But when the Father instructs Joseph to call Mary's son "Jesus" even before he has been born, he shows that Jesus is not just another prophet. He shows that Jesus is his Son in an entirely unique way - so much so that God the Father has the right to choose his name from the very beginning of his human existence. And what does that name mean? In Hebrew Joshua, which is Jesus in Greek, means "God saves."
This name reveals Christ's mission. Unlike the Old Testament prophets, Jesus didn't come to earth only to announce God's plan of saving mankind from sin and evil; he came in order to enact that plan, to win that salvation.
Another name of Jesus is also revealed to us today: Emmanuel. This name was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, and Matthew applies it explicitly to Jesus. "Emmanuel" in Hebrew means, "God is with/among us." The name "Jesus" referred to Christ's mission, what he came to do. "Emmanuel" refers to his identity, to who he is. But the two are closely related. Names have power - and Christ's names, when we really understand them, have enough power to bring our relationship with God to a whole new level.
Jesus' calling is to save his people from their sins and to manifest God's presence. Matthew thus begins his Gospel with the promise that Jesus is God-with-us. He will end the Gospel with the promise that Jesus will be with us "always, to the end of the age" (28:20). Matthew understands that in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, God is with us, reconciling the world to Himself. He is the reassurance in the flesh that God has not given up on us, but will remain with us.
We need to experience Emmanuel in our lives and change the world: God who entered our world through Jesus 2000 years ago is at work in the world. But the question is, if God has come to be present in our lives and our world, then why are there so many lives which are unhappy and beastly? Why are people so hostile, hating each other, and why do so many love-relationships turn sour? Why is there domestic violence and child abuse? Why is there war in at least a dozen countries of God's good earth at any given time? Why are there so many people, homeless and hungry, even in rich countries? The good news and the consoling message of Christmas is that the child Jesus still waits today to step into our hearts—your heart and mine—and to change us and the world around us by the beauty of God's love, kindness, mercy and compassion.
The problem is not that God is not with us, the problem rather is that we do not recognize the ways of God’s presence and action among us. We are often enough, like Jacob in Bethel who awoke from his sleep and exclaimed, “So the LORD is in this place – and I did not know it!” (Gen. 28:16).
We usually think of salvation almost exclusively in terms of our souls at the end of our lives, our getting into heaven when we die. Salvation at the end of our life is fine, it is essential. But we all need help right now. We need to be saved from selfishness, from greed, from a bad temper, from envy and jealousy, from hatred, bitterness, resentment, a critical spirit, gossiping and many other weaknesses that we easily give in to. All this Jesus wishes to accomplish in us here and now, that is, if we are willing to be saved in his way. Emmanuel, God with us, will save us from what we can not save ourselves.
The great writer Max Lucado tells about his neighbor who was trying to teach his six-year-old son how to shoot a basketball. They were out in the backyard. The father shot a couple of times, saying, "Do it just like that, son; it's real easy." The little boy tried very hard but he couldn't get the ball ten feet into the air. The little fellow got more and more frustrated. Finally, after hearing his father talk about how easy it was for the tenth time, the boy said, "It's easy for you up there. You don't know how hard it is from down here." You and I can never say that about God. When Jesus became man and lived among us, he walked where we walk, he suffered what we suffer, he was tempted as we are tempted.
God is with us in moments of sorrow as well as joy. God’s presence is the richest treasure one can have in one’s life. Presence of God is the foundation of our hope and absence of God is the beginning of crises. He is with us in situations of poverty as well as plenty. He is with us in times of worry as well as peace. God is with us to see us through any struggle, to help us survive any setback, to strengthen us to endure any disappointment. Christmas is a yearly sign to reaffirm our faith that God is still with us and will be with us to the end of time. And, to realize that “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Over 100 years ago Father Damien, a Belgian priest, began working with lepers on a small Hawaiian island. Each Sunday Father Damien would begin his sermon with these words: "You lepers know that God loves you." This went on for years. Finally, one Sunday Father Damien began his sermon this way: "We lepers know that God loves us.” Father Damien had contracted leprosy. Yet he went on loving and serving until his death in 1898. Even as Father Damien cast his lot with the lepers, Jesus, Emmanuel, invested himself totally with us sinners. "He was bruised and wounded for our sins. He was lashed, and we were healed." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel"( Mt 1: 22-23). The birth of Emmanuel was the fulfillment of God’s promise. In all, Mathew quotes 12 fulfillment prophecies.
Human parents are careful about naming their children. They want the name to mean something, to signify how important this new life is to them. God the Father was also careful about naming his Son. He didn't leave it up to chance or to Mary and Joseph's creativity. He chose it himself, and sent an angel to announce the choice to Mary and Joseph.
In the Old Testament, God often changed people's names, mostly when someone was given a special mission in salvation history - like Abram and Jacob. When God changed their names to Abraham and Israel, the meaning of the name signified their role in God's plan. But when the Father instructs Joseph to call Mary's son "Jesus" even before he has been born, he shows that Jesus is not just another prophet. He shows that Jesus is his Son in an entirely unique way - so much so that God the Father has the right to choose his name from the very beginning of his human existence. And what does that name mean? In Hebrew Joshua, which is Jesus in Greek, means "God saves."
This name reveals Christ's mission. Unlike the Old Testament prophets, Jesus didn't come to earth only to announce God's plan of saving mankind from sin and evil; he came in order to enact that plan, to win that salvation.
Another name of Jesus is also revealed to us today: Emmanuel. This name was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, and Matthew applies it explicitly to Jesus. "Emmanuel" in Hebrew means, "God is with/among us." The name "Jesus" referred to Christ's mission, what he came to do. "Emmanuel" refers to his identity, to who he is. But the two are closely related. Names have power - and Christ's names, when we really understand them, have enough power to bring our relationship with God to a whole new level.
Jesus' calling is to save his people from their sins and to manifest God's presence. Matthew thus begins his Gospel with the promise that Jesus is God-with-us. He will end the Gospel with the promise that Jesus will be with us "always, to the end of the age" (28:20). Matthew understands that in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, God is with us, reconciling the world to Himself. He is the reassurance in the flesh that God has not given up on us, but will remain with us.
We need to experience Emmanuel in our lives and change the world: God who entered our world through Jesus 2000 years ago is at work in the world. But the question is, if God has come to be present in our lives and our world, then why are there so many lives which are unhappy and beastly? Why are people so hostile, hating each other, and why do so many love-relationships turn sour? Why is there domestic violence and child abuse? Why is there war in at least a dozen countries of God's good earth at any given time? Why are there so many people, homeless and hungry, even in rich countries? The good news and the consoling message of Christmas is that the child Jesus still waits today to step into our hearts—your heart and mine—and to change us and the world around us by the beauty of God's love, kindness, mercy and compassion.
The problem is not that God is not with us, the problem rather is that we do not recognize the ways of God’s presence and action among us. We are often enough, like Jacob in Bethel who awoke from his sleep and exclaimed, “So the LORD is in this place – and I did not know it!” (Gen. 28:16).
We usually think of salvation almost exclusively in terms of our souls at the end of our lives, our getting into heaven when we die. Salvation at the end of our life is fine, it is essential. But we all need help right now. We need to be saved from selfishness, from greed, from a bad temper, from envy and jealousy, from hatred, bitterness, resentment, a critical spirit, gossiping and many other weaknesses that we easily give in to. All this Jesus wishes to accomplish in us here and now, that is, if we are willing to be saved in his way. Emmanuel, God with us, will save us from what we can not save ourselves.
The great writer Max Lucado tells about his neighbor who was trying to teach his six-year-old son how to shoot a basketball. They were out in the backyard. The father shot a couple of times, saying, "Do it just like that, son; it's real easy." The little boy tried very hard but he couldn't get the ball ten feet into the air. The little fellow got more and more frustrated. Finally, after hearing his father talk about how easy it was for the tenth time, the boy said, "It's easy for you up there. You don't know how hard it is from down here." You and I can never say that about God. When Jesus became man and lived among us, he walked where we walk, he suffered what we suffer, he was tempted as we are tempted.
God is with us in moments of sorrow as well as joy. God’s presence is the richest treasure one can have in one’s life. Presence of God is the foundation of our hope and absence of God is the beginning of crises. He is with us in situations of poverty as well as plenty. He is with us in times of worry as well as peace. God is with us to see us through any struggle, to help us survive any setback, to strengthen us to endure any disappointment. Christmas is a yearly sign to reaffirm our faith that God is still with us and will be with us to the end of time. And, to realize that “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is the subject of a lot of misconceptions . Perhaps the most common one, held even by many Catholics, is that it celebrates the conception of Christ in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That the feast occurs only 17 days before Christmas should make the error obvious! We celebrate another feast—the annunciation of the Lord—on March 25, exactly nine months before Christmas. It was at the Annunciation, when the Blessed Virgin Mary humbly accepted the honor bestowed on her by God and announced by the angel Gabriel, that the conception of Christ took place.
This feast celebrates the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the womb of Saint Anne; and nine months later, on September 8, we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Because of the doctrine of Original Sin, some in the West began to believe that Mary could not have been sinless unless she had been saved from Original Sin at the moment of her conception (thus making the conception "immaculate"). Others, however, including St. Thomas Aquinas, argued that Mary could not have been redeemed if she had not been subject to sin—at least, to Original Sin.
The answer to St. Thomas Aquinas's objection, as Blessed John Duns Scotus (d. 1308) showed, was that God had sanctified Mary at the moment of her conception in His foreknowledge that the Blessed Virgin would consent to bear Christ. In other words, she too had been redeemed—her redemption had simply been accomplished at the moment of her conception, rather than (as with all other Christians) in Baptism.
After Duns Scotus' defense of the Immaculate Conception, the feast spread throughout the West. On February 28, 1476, however, Pope Sixtus IV extended the feast to the entire Western Church, and in 1483 threatened with excommunication those who opposed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. By the middle of the 17th century, all opposition to the doctrine had died out in the Catholic Church.
Promulgation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception:
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX officially declared the Immaculate Conception a dogma of the Church, which means that all Christians are bound to accept it as true. As the Holy Father wrote in the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus, "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."
The idea that Mary could be conceived without bondage to Original Sin, and the related idea that Mary could spend her entire life free of sin, is not a glorification of her. It's a glorification of God, who filled her with grace in order to protect her in a special way and to enable her to resist temptation throughout her life. "Let it be done to me according to your word" was not a sudden or temporary leap of faith for her; it was her life-long attitude. The power that enabled her to fulfill this desire came straight from the Holy Spirit as a gift of grace.
Though Mary appears in a perfect light, it is clear that it is not her virtue that has earned her the great honour that is to come. The angel’s greeting makes it clear. “Favoured one; what is coming to her is God's gift, not reward for virtue. In the biblical passage the favour being offered was, of course, the conception of Jesus in her womb.
An outdoor statue of Mary at a church in St. Mary’s, Kansas was popular with a tribe of Native Americans. Over the years, it lost most of its paint so that her Mary's eyes looked as if she were blind. When a new pas-tor wanted to repaint the statue, the tribal chief opposed it vigorously saying,
We could never make her look as lovely as she is in heaven. On the other hand, if we keep it is now, it reminds us of how Mary looks down on us from heaven. Her eyes are blind to our faults, but her ears are open to our prayers.”
Mary is the model of Christian discipleship. Let the soul of Mary be in each one of you to magnify the Lord. Let the spirit of Mary be in each one to exult in Christ."
Under the title of the Immaculate Conception, Mary is the patron the United States of America, as well as many other countries. It seems really important to turn to Mary and beg her help for our countries. May we be able to focus on our mission to care for the common good. May we protect the dignity of every human life, as a precious child of God, giving every human person what he or she needs for a full life enabled to practice their faith with justice and the protections justice demands. Holy Mary, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
This feast celebrates the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the womb of Saint Anne; and nine months later, on September 8, we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Because of the doctrine of Original Sin, some in the West began to believe that Mary could not have been sinless unless she had been saved from Original Sin at the moment of her conception (thus making the conception "immaculate"). Others, however, including St. Thomas Aquinas, argued that Mary could not have been redeemed if she had not been subject to sin—at least, to Original Sin.
The answer to St. Thomas Aquinas's objection, as Blessed John Duns Scotus (d. 1308) showed, was that God had sanctified Mary at the moment of her conception in His foreknowledge that the Blessed Virgin would consent to bear Christ. In other words, she too had been redeemed—her redemption had simply been accomplished at the moment of her conception, rather than (as with all other Christians) in Baptism.
After Duns Scotus' defense of the Immaculate Conception, the feast spread throughout the West. On February 28, 1476, however, Pope Sixtus IV extended the feast to the entire Western Church, and in 1483 threatened with excommunication those who opposed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. By the middle of the 17th century, all opposition to the doctrine had died out in the Catholic Church.
Promulgation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception:
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX officially declared the Immaculate Conception a dogma of the Church, which means that all Christians are bound to accept it as true. As the Holy Father wrote in the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus, "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."
The idea that Mary could be conceived without bondage to Original Sin, and the related idea that Mary could spend her entire life free of sin, is not a glorification of her. It's a glorification of God, who filled her with grace in order to protect her in a special way and to enable her to resist temptation throughout her life. "Let it be done to me according to your word" was not a sudden or temporary leap of faith for her; it was her life-long attitude. The power that enabled her to fulfill this desire came straight from the Holy Spirit as a gift of grace.
Though Mary appears in a perfect light, it is clear that it is not her virtue that has earned her the great honour that is to come. The angel’s greeting makes it clear. “Favoured one; what is coming to her is God's gift, not reward for virtue. In the biblical passage the favour being offered was, of course, the conception of Jesus in her womb.
An outdoor statue of Mary at a church in St. Mary’s, Kansas was popular with a tribe of Native Americans. Over the years, it lost most of its paint so that her Mary's eyes looked as if she were blind. When a new pas-tor wanted to repaint the statue, the tribal chief opposed it vigorously saying,
We could never make her look as lovely as she is in heaven. On the other hand, if we keep it is now, it reminds us of how Mary looks down on us from heaven. Her eyes are blind to our faults, but her ears are open to our prayers.”
Mary is the model of Christian discipleship. Let the soul of Mary be in each one of you to magnify the Lord. Let the spirit of Mary be in each one to exult in Christ."
Under the title of the Immaculate Conception, Mary is the patron the United States of America, as well as many other countries. It seems really important to turn to Mary and beg her help for our countries. May we be able to focus on our mission to care for the common good. May we protect the dignity of every human life, as a precious child of God, giving every human person what he or she needs for a full life enabled to practice their faith with justice and the protections justice demands. Holy Mary, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
IInd Sunday of Advent.
II Sunday Advent: Is11:1-10; Ps72:1,2,7,8,12,13,17; Rm 15:4-9;Mt 3:1-12
Leonardo da Vinci painted the fresco (wall painting), "The Last Supper," in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan (1495-1498). A very interesting story is associated with this painting. At the time that Leonardo painted "The Last Supper," he had an enemy who was a fellow painter. Da Vinci had had a bitter argument with this man and despised him. When Da Vinci painted the face of Judas Iscariot at the table with Jesus, he used the face of his enemy so that it would be present for the ages as the man who betrayed Jesus. He took delight while painting this picture in knowing that others would actually notice the face of his enemy on Judas. As he worked on the faces of the other disciples, he often tried to paint the face of Jesus, but couldn't make any progress. Da Vinci felt frustrated and confused. In time he realized what was wrong. His hate for the other painter was holding him back from finishing the face of Jesus. Only after making peace with his fellow-painter and repainting the face of Judas was he able to paint the face of Jesus and complete his masterpiece. Be reconciled with God and fellow-human beings: that is the message of today’s gospel.
"Prepare the way of the Lord." He fearlessly scolds the Pharisees for receiving his baptism for appearances' sake only. Give evidence that they mean to reform their lives so as to recognize and accept the promised Messiah. He challenges them to repentance, conversion and renewal of life.
He tells the common people, who are filled with the expectation that the Messiah is near, to act with justice and charity, letting their lives reflect the transformation that will occur when the Messiah enters their lives.
Everyone who wants to experience this “reign of God" needs to make a radical change in his or her life. The Sadducees and Pharisees and many of the people John spoke to, thought they were entitled to the Kingdom of God simply because they were Jewish. “Stop making presumptions,” the Baptist warns them. We cannot come under the sovereign rule of God without a change of attitude, a change of heart and a change of lifestyle. John not only denounced men for what they had done; he summoned them to what they ought to do.
We have been brought into the sacred through the Merciful Gift of God that is our baptism. When we refuse to live our faith, we are treating our baptism as a mere ritual act. Repentance is a daily experience that renews our baptism. Repentance for us is not a one-time action, but must take place daily, because preparing for the Lord is a perpetual task. It is being open to the grace of God to transform ourselves.
The vision of Isaiah that “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6) means that there is going to be a radical change at the coming of the Messiah. Some people would say it is impossible for the cow and the bear to graze, and lie down together; or for a lion to eat straw like the ox. (11:7) The wolf can never live in peace with the lamb because it is in the nature of the wolf to eat the lamb.” Of course a radical transformation of our human nature is required for that. We need a completely new heart. This radical transformation of human nature is possible only by God’s grace. One who is born and living in Christ will grow to that radical change of nature.
Grace transforms nature. God’s grace transforms human nature so radically that one needs to experience it to believe it. Grace working in nature accomplishes so much more than we could ever imagine.
Only when transformed by grace, is it possible for the wolf to live in peace with the lamb. Only then can the ferocious animals learn to accept their weaker colleagues as equals who have an equal right to life and well-being. And only then can the weaker animals learn to trust the ferocious ones and forgive and forget all the violence they had been made to suffer in the past.
Note that Isaiah is not talking here of “tolerating” or putting up with” the other. The peace of this new world order is not merely an absence of war or friction. No. It is a peace of harmonious live-and-let-live based on justice and the mutual recognition that everyone has got the right not only to life but also to the good life. It is only when the lion and the wolf give up their “natural privileges” and begin to eat grass like the cow that one can truly say that “all animals are equal.” As long as some animals lay claim to being “more equal” than others there can be no justice and no peace.
In our personal and business life do we consciously or unconsciously operate on the principle that for us to win, someone else has to lose? If so then the grace of God has not been able to work in us to transform us. The vision of the new world order to which the prophets invite us today is founded on the principle that we can all be winners.
For many people conversion to Jesus means going to Church and doing religious rituals. Conversion is more than that. John says, “Produce good fruit as evidence of repentance.” We produce the fruits of conversion when we grow from rituals to relationship. The ultimate purpose of repentance is building bridges with one another. And going to meet others more than half way, is a means to meet Christ on Christmas. Paul exhorts the Church of Rome the same thing. The reason for reaching out to the other is the mystery of incarnation. Human body becomes the dwelling place of God. This is our common ground.
Harmonious co-existence is possible when every person lives the threefold Christ-principle: Mutual acceptance, Mutual respect, Mutual promotion. For this to take place we may have to put an ax to resentments and biases rooted in our hearts. We may have to winnow our greed and overindulgence, and we may have to burn the chaff of our impatience.
On this second Sunday of Advent, let us ask ourselves these questions. Do I perform the works of proper conversion ? Do I accept others as they are? Do I respect their rightful place and position in the community? Do I give the other what is due to him/her? Let’s show to the Lord and the Christian community that we are serious with our conversion.
Leonardo da Vinci painted the fresco (wall painting), "The Last Supper," in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan (1495-1498). A very interesting story is associated with this painting. At the time that Leonardo painted "The Last Supper," he had an enemy who was a fellow painter. Da Vinci had had a bitter argument with this man and despised him. When Da Vinci painted the face of Judas Iscariot at the table with Jesus, he used the face of his enemy so that it would be present for the ages as the man who betrayed Jesus. He took delight while painting this picture in knowing that others would actually notice the face of his enemy on Judas. As he worked on the faces of the other disciples, he often tried to paint the face of Jesus, but couldn't make any progress. Da Vinci felt frustrated and confused. In time he realized what was wrong. His hate for the other painter was holding him back from finishing the face of Jesus. Only after making peace with his fellow-painter and repainting the face of Judas was he able to paint the face of Jesus and complete his masterpiece. Be reconciled with God and fellow-human beings: that is the message of today’s gospel.
"Prepare the way of the Lord." He fearlessly scolds the Pharisees for receiving his baptism for appearances' sake only. Give evidence that they mean to reform their lives so as to recognize and accept the promised Messiah. He challenges them to repentance, conversion and renewal of life.
He tells the common people, who are filled with the expectation that the Messiah is near, to act with justice and charity, letting their lives reflect the transformation that will occur when the Messiah enters their lives.
Everyone who wants to experience this “reign of God" needs to make a radical change in his or her life. The Sadducees and Pharisees and many of the people John spoke to, thought they were entitled to the Kingdom of God simply because they were Jewish. “Stop making presumptions,” the Baptist warns them. We cannot come under the sovereign rule of God without a change of attitude, a change of heart and a change of lifestyle. John not only denounced men for what they had done; he summoned them to what they ought to do.
We have been brought into the sacred through the Merciful Gift of God that is our baptism. When we refuse to live our faith, we are treating our baptism as a mere ritual act. Repentance is a daily experience that renews our baptism. Repentance for us is not a one-time action, but must take place daily, because preparing for the Lord is a perpetual task. It is being open to the grace of God to transform ourselves.
The vision of Isaiah that “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6) means that there is going to be a radical change at the coming of the Messiah. Some people would say it is impossible for the cow and the bear to graze, and lie down together; or for a lion to eat straw like the ox. (11:7) The wolf can never live in peace with the lamb because it is in the nature of the wolf to eat the lamb.” Of course a radical transformation of our human nature is required for that. We need a completely new heart. This radical transformation of human nature is possible only by God’s grace. One who is born and living in Christ will grow to that radical change of nature.
Grace transforms nature. God’s grace transforms human nature so radically that one needs to experience it to believe it. Grace working in nature accomplishes so much more than we could ever imagine.
Only when transformed by grace, is it possible for the wolf to live in peace with the lamb. Only then can the ferocious animals learn to accept their weaker colleagues as equals who have an equal right to life and well-being. And only then can the weaker animals learn to trust the ferocious ones and forgive and forget all the violence they had been made to suffer in the past.
Note that Isaiah is not talking here of “tolerating” or putting up with” the other. The peace of this new world order is not merely an absence of war or friction. No. It is a peace of harmonious live-and-let-live based on justice and the mutual recognition that everyone has got the right not only to life but also to the good life. It is only when the lion and the wolf give up their “natural privileges” and begin to eat grass like the cow that one can truly say that “all animals are equal.” As long as some animals lay claim to being “more equal” than others there can be no justice and no peace.
In our personal and business life do we consciously or unconsciously operate on the principle that for us to win, someone else has to lose? If so then the grace of God has not been able to work in us to transform us. The vision of the new world order to which the prophets invite us today is founded on the principle that we can all be winners.
For many people conversion to Jesus means going to Church and doing religious rituals. Conversion is more than that. John says, “Produce good fruit as evidence of repentance.” We produce the fruits of conversion when we grow from rituals to relationship. The ultimate purpose of repentance is building bridges with one another. And going to meet others more than half way, is a means to meet Christ on Christmas. Paul exhorts the Church of Rome the same thing. The reason for reaching out to the other is the mystery of incarnation. Human body becomes the dwelling place of God. This is our common ground.
Harmonious co-existence is possible when every person lives the threefold Christ-principle: Mutual acceptance, Mutual respect, Mutual promotion. For this to take place we may have to put an ax to resentments and biases rooted in our hearts. We may have to winnow our greed and overindulgence, and we may have to burn the chaff of our impatience.
On this second Sunday of Advent, let us ask ourselves these questions. Do I perform the works of proper conversion ? Do I accept others as they are? Do I respect their rightful place and position in the community? Do I give the other what is due to him/her? Let’s show to the Lord and the Christian community that we are serious with our conversion.
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