Month: August 2015

12 Aug (Based on Mt 18:15-20)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFS1 Comment

Facebook is the popular online social networking service, which has achieved immense levels of popularity and usage.

Many use it, on account of its…
… versatility in finding and maintaining contacts
… easy to use features and the availability of readily accessible tools
… resourcefulness which helps to gain a lot of information and entertainment

One of the features that is available on Facebook is the option to “unfriend” someone.

To “unfriend” means to remove someone from a list of friends or contacts on a social networking website.

The technique to do that is pretty simple:
 Going to the person’s profile
 Hover over the ‘Friends’ button at the top of the profile
 Click on “Unfriend’

It’s as easy and straightforward as that to “throw” someone out of the friend list!

Real life too, sometimes falls into this “simplistic” technique to “unfriend” people from life – especially people who are close to us and who ought to deserve “repeated” chances before the ties are severed…

… Someone offends us – either out of ignorance or perhaps due to some reason – but we easily “break ties” with that person

… Someone speaks a bad word about us and we take so much offence that we lose all our peace of mind and devise schemes to terminate or harm that person – either physically or socially or mentally

… Someone acquires a bad name – out of false rumours or maybe even out of some true incident; but we make a mountain of the mole and go on to further critically damage the image of that person

Our life sometimes makes it so easy “to unfriend” someone… even our own family members, or close friends or some other person who has played a deep role in our lives.

The Gospel of the Day invites us to reflect in depth on this our trend to “unfriend” people from our lives, without even giving them further chances or opportunities to remedy themselves.

Jesus says, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone” (Mt 18: 15)

Jesus was a person who had an important principle in all His teachings: the need to strive towards perfection.

In Mt 5: 48, Jesus says, ” Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect”

It’s this pursuit of perfection in human relationships that makes Jesus to invite us in being careful, cautious and vigilant with respect to severing our relationships with one another.

“Friendship”, it is said, “is delicate as a glass – once broken it can be fixed but there will always be cracks”

Jesus, therefore warns us on the need to “handle with care” our relationships.

The “pursuit towards perfection” makes it inevitable for a Christian – a follower of Christ, to go beyond one’s own limitations and situations in maintaining relationships – preserving and perfection the fine ones, mending and restoring the broken ones.

• It is easy to say “I don’t like you any more” because of some bad experience
… but it takes Christian Gentleness to respect and accept a person, despite his/her faults or failures

• It is easy to show a person the exit-door in our relationship due to some misunderstanding or ego-clash
… but it takes Christian Humility to let go of one’s “proud and adamant mentality” and lower oneself to try to understand better the person in fault and his/her situation and background

• It is easy to harbour grudge and to nurture ill-feelings and to spread the contagion of malicious talks regarding  a person whom we don’t like
… but it takes Christian Charity to allow the honey of Christ’s love to permeate our hearts and to be able to find goodness even in the midst of a slush of ‘apparent dirt’ in the person

Our lives, families, communities and societies are being plagued by a number of cancers with respect to relationships:
 Backbiting and spreading false rumours about people and situations
 Cooking up bogus stories and building up on some true incidents to fashion an “interesting and spicy” report regarding particular persons
 Actively engaging in forming groups and cliques against a someone in order to satiate one’s own pleasures and get through one’s personal agenda for life

Are we ready to be bold to let go of all such tendencies to which we can be prone and instead engage ourselves in radical Christian charity and humility?

May we seek the intercession of St Jane de Chantal, whose feast we celebrate today for greater strength in our personal relationships.

She is the patron saint of forgotten people, in-law problems, loss of parents, parents separated from children and widows.

May her words inspire us:
“If we truly love our neighbours, we refrain from saying anything prejudicial to them.
 We support everyone as we would like to be supported.
 We try to give the example that we would like to receive from others.
 We excuse and forgive the blunders of others as we would like ours to be forgiven and excused.
 We rejoice in the happiness of others and are sorrowful in their pains, just as we would like them to respond to us in ours.
 We graciously help others in their needs both by prayer and actual service.

In this way we truly show our good-will and love.”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

11 Aug (Based on Mt 18:1-5,10,12-14)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFS3 Comments

A little boy once came to his Daddy, one night.
He confessed a mistake that he had done during the course of the day.

Then kneeling at Daddy’s feet, the child, with hands folded, prayed with tears:
“Dear God, make me a man – like Daddy – wise and strong.
I know You can!”

This innocent gesture touched the father very much.
 He had a profound realisation of his deep limitations and the child’s high expectations

Then when the child had slept, the father knelt beside his bed.

Confessing his sins, and praying with a low-bowed head, made this prayer:
“O God, make me a child – like my sweet child here – pure, guileless, trusting in You with a faith sincere.
I know You can!”

We all grow up in life – physically, socially, psychologically etc
But sometimes this “growing up” fails to preserve the “growth” that is already witnessed in little children – openness, sincerity, trust and spontaneity.

Can we dare, as adults, to “grow” into being a Child?

The Gospel of the Day is an elegant presentation by Jesus on the “necessary attitude” that is required for a valid entry into the Kingdom of Heaven: a child-like nature.

Jesus says, “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 18: 3)

One of the grave dangers in the process of “growing- up” is the tendency to lose our “natural child-like” traits.

A child is someone who is born with many inherent qualities.
But in the process of “becoming an adult”, we abandon many of those.

This ‘abandonment’ could be because…
… of the upbringing in the society or the culture we live
… or the various experiences that we go through as we grow up

As a child, we would be free to express our emotions
… but as we grow up, we tend to hold them up all within (only to burst out one day!)

As a child, we would trust and depend easily on those who care for us
.. but as we grow up, we become fearful or disbelieving towards those same persons

As a child, we would be eased to live in the present moment, enjoying and relaxing
… but as we grow up, we fall into the trap of the past and cringed with the fear of the future.

This “growth” process also affects our child-like faith and trust in God our Father.

Jesus presents the beautiful imagery of a Shepherd who goes behind the lost sheep.
 The cry of that sheep which has been strayed pierces the heart of the shepherd
 The dangers that the sheep which was lost is exposed to frightens the shepherd

Such is the deep longing and craving of our Heavenly Father towards us – we, who sometimes turn out to be the lost sheep by losing our child-like faith and confidence.

A popular song from the Hindi movie “Three Idiots” has the following line:
“… Give me another chance, I wanna grow up once again…”

The Lord invites us to have a “renewal of our minds” and to retrieve back the ‘lost’ child-like faith and trust.

It takes courage and dare to make efforts to let go of our “matured egoistic” tendencies in order to depend more on our Heavenly Father.

The process usually is encountered by resistance…
• Why should I depend on someone… I am mature enough to think for myself
• Why should I become humble… I have my own desires to be satisfied to

These could be some of the thought-patterns that one stumbles into, in giving heed to the call of the Lord to ” be like a child”.

Our Lord Himself is the greatest model and example in learning to have a “child-like” faith…
St Paul tells in his letter to the Philippians, ” ..though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God, a thing to be grasped. Rather, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave…. becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2: 6-8)

May St Clare of Assisi, whose feast we celebrate today, become an inspiration for us to firmly trust in God.

In her words:
“Place your mind before the mirror of eternity!
Place your soul in the brilliance of glory!
And transform your entire being into the image of the Godhead Itself through contemplation!

Gaze upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him, as you desire to imitate Him.”

May we be privileged to be graced with the gift of being “like children” and thus be able to firmly trust and relax in the arms of our Caring and Loving Heavenly Father!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

10 Aug (Based on Feast of St Lawrence)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFSLeave a comment

The year 258 AD saw a massive killing campaign unleashed against the Christians by the Roman Emperor Valerian.

Popular lore has it that a young Deacon had been placed in charge of the Church’s riches.
 These treasures included the Holy Grail which was supposed to be the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper.

Emperor Valerian, who had just killed the Pope had set his eyes also on finishing off this young Deacon.

Having a good knowledge of the Church’s riches, the cruel Emperor commanded the Deacon to hand over all the “treasures of the Church” to him or that he too would suffer a dreadful death.

The deacon requested for a few days to collect together the vast amount of wealth.

Three days later, the Deacon, mustering immense courage, threw open the palace doors to deliver the “treasures”.

His hands were all empty  – no silver nor gold nor any other precious ornaments.
 Instead, flaunting behind him were the poor, the blind and the crippled of the town.

When he reached the throne, the Deacon daringly announced, “These are the true treasures of the Church”!

The Emperor was mightily enraged.
He sentenced the young fellow to a death by torturous grilling!

Literally, the executioners followed the command – barbecuing the Deacon to death on a gridiron.

However, the valour and the dare displayed by the faithful soldier of Christ was so great that, after a few minutes of being roasted, he said to his executioners, “This side is done… Turn me over on the other side!!”

That could be the height of boldness and courage, right?

And what’s more.. call it Divine humour, the Church has named this Deacon as the Patron Saint of comedians, butchers, chefs and roasters!

Classic one, isn’t it?

The name of the Deacon is St Lawrence, whose feast we celebrate today.

His daring life goes on to prove…
… that a passionate love for Christ can overcome any pain and persecution – including death!
… that the worth of being a true disciple is total fidelity to the person of Christ and to His Kingdom, even if it means bearing hardships and difficulties

We are invited, as the Gospel of the day says, “to be the grain of wheat that falls into the earth and dies” ( Jn 12: 24-26)

Our Blessed Lord expounds one of the most basic principles in nature:
 New life emerges only when there is a sacrifice
 Transformation in life happens only when a sacrifice is involved.

The vegetables, before being served at table…
… needs to be pulled up from the heart of the earth
… and passed through the torment of fire in being cooked

The meat, that comes with its tasty appeal, at the  food table..
… needs to be first submitted to the slaying by the knife
… and passed through the flaming ordeal, in being rendered edible

Sacrifice, therefore, is nature’s way of passage to experience new life!

The Lord takes an appeal to this basic principle in saying that “unless a grain of wheat dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn 12: 24)

At the time of Jesus, farmers would drop one grain of wheat at a time, in its cultivation
• The soil would be ploughed and shallow trenches dug out to create the bed for the seeds.
• The wheat grains, one at a time, were dropped into the trench and covered with loosened soil

A little sneak into the wheat yielding statistics (roughly – since it varies from place to place, depending on the soil, seed variety and other factors) reveals the point that Jesus explicated about “a grain of wheat which dies, yields much fruit”

If we consider an acre of land…
 Two bushels of grain would yield around 40 bushels of wheat
 That translates to, around 150 kg of grain yielding around 3000 kg of wheat!

• Simplifying it, gives an equation (very roughly): 1 kg of grain sown would yield around 20 kg of wheat!

That’s enormous, isn’t it?

This is the power of sacrifice, that Jesus alludes to, with an example from nature.

As Christians, we are challenged to live a life of Sacrifice, in order to yield the harvest of God’s Kingdom.

Greater our sacrifice, greater would be the fruits that are yielded for the glory of God and His Kingdom!

The Gospel passage refers to two ways of making this sacrifice…
1. Dying to the world
“He who hates his love in this world, will keep it for eternal life” (Jn 12: 25)

2. Serving the Lord wholeheartedly by following Him
“If anyone serves me, the Father will honour me” (Jn 12: 26)

Can we personalise these two dimensions of sacrifice….?

• Dying to the worldly values which glorify the self – power, positions and honour- and instead seek to live in humility, self-discipline and selflessness!
• Constantly making efforts to serve the Lord in every aspect of our life – words, deeds, thoughts – and leading a life that brings glory to God and serving His people in every little way possible

• Giving up sins – both personal and social – and constantly rejecting alluring temptations to remain fixated by worldly standards; instead focussing on the transcendental dimensions of life
• Prioritising the Lord and His Kingdom in every aspect of our life and remaining focussed on Him alone – even amidst persecutions or hardships to give up the Gospel Lifestyle

The courageous and bold Deacon, St Lawrence is a powerful model for us to lead a life of Christian Sacrifice.

May our Crucified Lord, who is the greatest embodiment of Sacrifice, fill us with the grace and courage to live a committed Christian life!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

9th Aug (Based on Jn 6:41-51)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFSLeave a comment

Here is an interesting conversation …
… between two friends – Isa and John

Isa, an intelligent and faithful Muslim expressed an interest in understanding the faith of his Catholic friend John and asked him to take him for the Holy Mass.

After the Mass, John asked Isa what he thought of it.

Very slowly and thoughtfully, Isa said, “Do you Catholics really believe that thing, that small piece of bread , is not bread but Jesus Christ?”

“Yes, we do” said John

“Your Church teaches that God is really present there?”

“Yes”

“The priest at the Altar said, body and blood, soul and divinity. You really believe all that?” came the next curious query from Isa.

“Yes, we do” replied John, growing defensive.

Isa then made as if to say something, but refrained from saying it.
John assured him that he would not be offended.

Finally, hesitatingly, Isa said, “I don’t really understand your faith!”

With a relief, John calmly said, “I can understand how you feel. It sounds very shocking, I know”

“No, you don’t understand. That’s not what I mean. You will take it as an insult, but I don’t mean it to be”, explained Isa.

“I promise that I will not take it as an insult. But I really want to know what is on your mind.”, clarified John

“Well then. . . . I don’t think you really do believe that. I don’t mean to say you’re dishonest, but . . . .”

“Hmmm… I think I know what you mean. You can’t really understand anyone who believes something so shocking.
You don’t see how one could ever get down on one’s knees before that altar, right?”

“No” enlightened Isa, “I don’t see how I could ever get up.

If I believed that little thing that looks like an ordinary round of bread was really Allah Himself, I think I would just faint.
I would fall at His feet like a dead man!”

Those words hit John like a lightening.

Here was a man, not of his faith, but who seemed to truly understand the mighty power of the Little White Host – the Holy Eucharist!

• He had been a Catholic all his life.
• He had been receiving the Holy Communion for many years.
But never before had he ever thought that the Eucharist could actually be so powerful!

Is my Catholic Faith, in the Holy Eucharist, in the lines of John…
… believing yet not really passionate
… professing faith, but not fully convinced
… theoretically doubting and practically not living

The Gospel of the Day is a continued discourse by Jesus, on the Bread of Life and is a strong reminder to revive, refresh and renew our Faith in the Lord – especially in the Most Holy Eucharist.

The Gospel passage begins with the verse, “The Jews then murmured at Him, because He said, ‘I am the bread which came down from heaven'” (Jn 6:41)

We notice here a sharp change in attitude and approach of the people..
• At the start of the Chapter, when Jesus had multiplied the bread and the people had their satisfied fill, they were extremely excited, enthusiastic and energized with respect to Jesus. (Jn 6: 1-15)

 They were overawed by His spectacular miracle
 They were keen to crown this “Bread-Giver” as their King

• But as we progress through the Chapter, we observe that the people are antagonized and annoyed by the words of Jesus that ‘He is the Bread from Heaven

 They were scandalized by His comparison to being greater than even Moses, whom alone they had considered to be the bread-giver in the wilderness
 They were lethargic and disinterested in accepting the teaching of Jesus because they knew of his earthly origins and his family background

The result: Jesus, the Bread of Life failed to be understood and be accepted!
• Their hardheartedness and their supposition that “they knew Jesus” prevented them from accepting the Bread of Life!
• Their unwillingness to be open to the truth and their pride in failing to realise that Jesus was someone who transcended earthly ties, caused them to be blinded in receiving the power of the Bread of Life!

Do these factors prevent us also from understanding and accepting Jesus, the Bread of Life in the Most Holy Eucharist?

 Am I being ignorant of the teachings of the Church and thus fail to realise the depth and the worth of the Holy Eucharist?
 Do I feel that “I know a lot of things” and that the teachings concerning the Holy Eucharist are just “not reasonable” or “do not sound logical” or are “too childish”?

Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is the greatest treasure, the mightiest force and the most supreme source of love on the earth.

But how many of us really make efforts…
… to strengthen this faith?
… to grow in this awareness?
… to nurture this conviction?

St John Maria Vianney said, “If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy”

Every participation in the Holy Eucharist ought to make us die…
Perhaps, physically we are yet to attain that height of sanctity

But we ought to die…
… to our sinful ways of life
… to our pride and other vices that can cripple us
… to our selfish desires that denies giving the Lord the prime place in life

As Catholics, we profess and take pride that we have a Living God, “truly, really and substantially” present in the Holy Eucharist.

But…
 Can we live a life worthy of this Blessed Presence?
 Can we be truly zealous and passionate in our love for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist?

St Francis de Sales says:
“When the bee has gathered the dew of heaven and the earth’s sweetest nectar from the flowers, it turns it into honey, then hastens to its hive.

In the same way, the priest, having taken from the altar, the Son of God (who is as the dew from heaven, and true son of Mary, flower of our humanity), gives him to you as delicious food.”

May Jesus, the Bread of Life, present in the Holy Eucharist inflame the sparks of our faith and may it blaze briskly,  in devotion and service!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

8th Aug (Based on Mt 17:14-20)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFS1 Comment

Raphael is the famous Italian painter – the architect of the High Renaissance.

Together with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, he forms the traditional trinity of great masters of that period.

There is a famous painting of the Transfiguration of our Blessed Lord by Raphael.
This painting was done in Rome in 1520.

Raphael had his health deteriorating at this time, as soon he was to die at the age of 37.
With the life-energy draining out of him, he chose to apply his mastery strokes on the painting of the Transfiguration.

image

In the upper centre part of the painting is seen a flat, rock mountain top.
 The three disciples – Peter, James and John – are shielding their eyes from the glory.
 Just above them, in the air, are Elijah and Moses and Jesus.
 Jesus is glisteningly white, as scripture says, “no fuller on earth could bleach”

At the bottom of the mountain, is the crowd of the other disciples.
 They are being unable to heal a boy, who is possessed by a demon.
 The boy, an epileptic is seen in a fit of seizure, and flanked by his helpless father

These two contrasting images in the same picture are drawn from the 17th Chapter of the Gospel of St Matthew.
• The Transfiguration of the Lord (Mt 17: 1- 13)
• The inability of the disciples to heal the epileptic boy (Mt 17: 14ff)

The Gospel of the day is the second incident: of how the disciples fail to heal the boy and how Jesus intervenes to cure and teaches the importance of possessing strong faith.

These two incidents that are depicted in the Painting of the Transfiguration by Raphael, shows contrasting dimensions…
 On one side, immense glory being revealed and the Divine splendour being manifested
 On the other, lack of faith being exposed and the failure in the Kingdom ministry

 On one side, the three disciples basking in the light of heightened faith and devotion
 On the other, the other disciples being lost in the darkness of inability to put the faith to effectiveness
.

And how often is this the painting of our own lives too…

• There are some moments when we experience the loftiness of God’s glory and power
• There are other moments when we fail  miserably to evoke His presence and are unable to feel His

• There are some times when faith makes us to feel that everything is so glorious and wonderful
• There are other times when our faith hits rock-bottom and our spiritual life loses its sheen and all seems so miserable

This is the reality of our lives – contrasting experiences of glorious faith at some instants and miserable lack of trust at other

But the Gospel of the day ends with an encouraging exhortation by Jesus to have a strong and sturdy faith – the faith the size of a mustard seed

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Mt 17:20)

When the disciples were unable to bring about a healing to the epileptic boy, the Lord sure did rebuke them for their “lack of faith”.

But after having healed the child, He does not linger with the reproaching or admonishing attitude… instead as a loving friend and a caring master, gently but firmly encourages them to be stronger in their faith.

This is the approach that He has towards us too…
 He knows that we have our weak moments and situations of disbelief and doubts
 He knows that there are periods when our faith is merely on the lips and not really from the depths of our hearts
 He knows that there are times when annoying circumstances encroach our faith-life and all our efforts in devotion meet with bitter conclusions

Yet, with firmness and fondness, Jesus invites us to keep seeking to grow in our trust in Him and have faith of the size of the mustard seed.

Today we celebrate the Feast of St Dominic, the valiant preacher of the Word of God and the passionate promoter of the Devotion to our Blessed Mother in the Holy Rosary.

Fulton Sheen speaking on the Rosary says:
“The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known.
It is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men.
It is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next.
The power of the rosary is beyond description.”

May the words of St Dominic, “A man who governs his passions is master of the world.
We must either command them, or be enslaved by them.
It is better to be a hammer than an anvil”

… and our love for our Blessed Mother through the Holy Rosary help us to deepen our faith and trust in the Lord!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

7th Aug (Based on Mt 16:24-28)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFSLeave a comment

Dayton Ohio in America has an elevated railway.

One of the stations of this railway was near a great Roman Catholic burial ground named Calvary Cemetery.
 The name of this station was Calvary Station.

The unique aspect of this station was that the trains did not stop at this station, except on request.

The reason?
For several years, in that part of the town, there were many more dead than living people.

Therefore, just after leaving the nearest station, the train guard would open the door and shout:
“Next station is Calvary! Train stops on request only…
Anybody for Calvary?”

Perhaps this a parable of life’s train!

At all other stations, life’s train stops – market-street station, school-street station, church-street station, home-avenue station etc…

But only at one station, there is a stop only when someone chooses to: the Station of Calvary!

The Gospel of the Day has Jesus, the Guard of our Life’s Train echoing the invitatory words, “Anybody for Calvary?”

Jesus tells His disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after Me, must deny Himself, take up His cross and follow Me” (Mt 16:24)

One of the finest aspects about Jesus, as a Person and as a Teacher, is the clarity and precision that He maintained in all His words and deeds.
 He was clear and precise of what was His Mission on the earth
 He is clear and precise also, of what is expected of His followers.

• There is no pretence or deception in His talks.
• There are no loopholes or strings attached in His demands

He makes it precisely clear that the one who follows Him must fulfil the three basic conditions:
1. Denying Oneself
2. Taking up the Cross
3. Following Him

• Denying Oneself – demands that one is willing to entrust the reins of one’s life totally to the Master.

 It means a priority of the highest order that is reserved for the Lord and His Kingdom
 It means a constant rejection of desires that cause the self to be greater than the Lord

• Taking Up the Cross – demands that one is wholeheartedly and readily willing to do one’s duty as a Christian, joyfully and steadily

 It means an availability to be at the service of the Lord and His Kingdom at all times
 It means a seeking and an acceptance of the Will of God at every moment of life

• Following Him – demands that one keeps a steadfast focus on the Lord alone and keeping away anything that would cause a distraction

 It means a faithful and an unflinched commitment to walk only on the path that the Lord demands
 It means a radical letting go of anything that can be contrary to the Gospel ways and the Kingdom values.

But very often we find that these things are easier said, than done…

• We wish to deny ourselves.
But too often….
 Our selfish desires dominate over us and we get disillusioned
 We give in to making excuses or dilute the seriousness of our call

• We wish to take up our cross
But too often…
 We feel ourselves overburdened with responsibilities
 We fear the hardships of disciplining ourselves and shy away from it

• We wish to follow Him
But too often…
 Worldly distractions and human affairs preoccupy us and our hearts get divided in our loyalty to the Lord
 Our enthusiastic hearts get weighed down by scandals or lack of motivations or even opposing forces

But the Lord, through today’s Gospel gives a call once again – to embrace a life of the Cross!

The way of the Cross is the only true path for a Christian.
• That was the way of the Lord.
• That is to be the way of each follower too.

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian says, “To endure the cross is not tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ”.

A life embracing the cross is the hallmark of a Christian – in self-denial, in total commitment and with complete sincerity.

As our life-train chugs on, Jesus, the Guard echoes the call, “Anybody for Calvary?”

Calvary is “the offence of the cross”
 None stops there except the one who chooses to
 It’s a stumbling block for the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks ( 1 Cor 1:23)
 But to those who believe, it is the power and wisdom of God ( 1 Cor 1: 24)

Are we willing to request for a stop at Calvary – to embrace the Cross of Christ?

God Bless! Live Jesus!

6th Aug (Based on Feast of Transfiguration of our Lord)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFSLeave a comment

There is a little story told of a person who went to Paris on a trip.

Wishing to buy his wife a gift, he purchased a phosphorescent, ‘mother-of-pearl’ match-box container.

(‘Mother-of-pearl’ is the common name for sparkling nacre, a blend of minerals that are secreted by oysters and deposited inside their shells, coating and protecting them from foreign objects; these eventually become pearls)

The beauty of this gift was that in the dark it was said to radiate a wonderful light.

The man packed it in his trunk, took it home and after the family-dinner, asked for the lights to be put out.

In the dark, he took the match-box container from his pocket to present it to his wife.

But, when he looked at it, it was as black as the darkness around.

Frustrated, he said, “That is just the way foreigners are often treated! I have been cheated!”

Next day, however, his wife, a bit curious, discovered on the box, a few words in French.
She took it down to some friends who had a French maid and had it translated.

That night, in the darkness, that box was all aglow, for she had followed the instructions written on the box, which said:

‘If you keep me all day long in the sunlight,
I will shine for you all night long, in the darkness’

A glow in the dark is assured for that which has the capacity to infuse light within itself!
• The greater one is in the light, the greater would be one’s glow in the dark!

Light emerges from the depths of holiness.. to shine clearly even in the dark…
This is Transfiguration!

 Where woundedness can be refined into beauty, a beautiful transfiguration takes place.
 Where sufferings can be graced into meaningfulness, a wonderful transfiguration takes place

As Christians, we are invited to have this Transfiguration Experience, in imitation of our Blessed Lord.

One of the easy tendencies in life is to “get used to”…
• Get used to doing the same works
• Get used to dealing with the same people.
A tendency of “monotony” creeps in

The danger with “monotony” is that…
… it can drain away enthusiasm from the works one does
… it can curtail the motivation to engage in creative actions

Monotony can easily cause dissipation of ‘joy in service’ and dissolving of ‘fervour in life’!

This danger of “monotony” is a strong possibility even in our spiritual life.
• We begin to take our faith for granted
• We tend to view our devotions with casualness.

 Prayers get boring.
 The Holy Eucharist seems meaningless
 Pious practices fails to generate any passion

The same danger was true even in the case of the Disciples.

The disciples had been with Jesus for a while now…
• They had seen Him performing many wonders
• They had seen Him teaching and addressing the crowds
• They had seen Him being the subject of many oppositions too

But slowly, as human tendency is – a feel of monotony would have begun to creep into their lives.

It is at this stage, that our Blessed Lord chooses three of His “core” disciples – Peter, James and John, and in their presence gets Transfigured! (Mk 9: 2-10)

The Transfiguration experience was something very special and unique for these disciples…
 They saw our Blessed Lord glisteningly shining – His clothes being whiter “as no fuller on earth could bleach” (Mk 9:3)
 They witnessed Moses and Elijah (Mk 9:4) – the great Lawgiver and the mighty Prophet – along with Jesus, Who was the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophet!
 They heard the Divine Voice – “This is My Beloved Son; listen to Him” (Mk 9: 7b) – from the cloud; reminiscent of God Yahweh who would speak to His people of old, from the clouds

The three disciples were being introduced to a new perspective of their Master.
• They saw Jesus – not in the usual way – but arrayed in His Divine Glory and Honour!

Jesus had not become something that He was not…
 He was always God.
 He was always the Second Person of the Divine Trinity.
But all this while, the eyes of the disciples were kept away from seeing the fullness of glory – only sparks of Divinity was revealed to them

But now, here was a moment, though short – the Transfiguration – when the chosen disciples could come face-to-face with Divine Glory!

The moment of Transfiguration had made them see things in a new light…
 Jesus was still the same – but they now saw Him, for a short moment, with a Glorious Glow
 The mountain was still the same – but they now felt, for a short moment, a Compelling Comfort on it

That is the splendour and glory of the moment of Transfiguration…
… when woundedness is refined into beauty
… when sufferings are graced into meaningfulness

Have we had this Transfiguration Experience?

Surely, we have had…

But perhaps, many of us fail to recognise it.. or acknowledge it…
• A moment when our words have touched and sparkled a sad soul..
• A moment when we ourselves have been healed in our brokenness by some Divine intervention
• A moment when we experienced the light of God’s healing, restoration, forgiveness etc through the Sacraments of the Church
• A moment when a pulse of joy and satisfaction raced through our veins in having rendered, perhaps, a tiny but significant act of service and care to a needy person
• A moment when, in our brokenness or deep pain or lethargy, an encouraging word has revived our bent spirits

Many are such moments of Transfiguration in our life…
 Some maybe very short.
 Some may seem to be too common

But the more we look deeper, the more we find, that God has blessed us immensely with such “Transfiguration” experiences.

It is these “Transfiguration” moments that will take us through, strongly, in our moments of darkness.

The light of Transfiguration on Mount Tabor helped to shine through during the darkness of Crucifixion on Mount Calvary for Jesus!

The greater one is in the light of the Transfiguration, the greater would be one’s glow in the dark phases of life!

May the celebration of the Feast of the Transfiguration help us to be reminded of the promise of the Lord that:
“If you keep yourself, all day long in the sunlight of My Love,
I will shine for you all night long, in the darkness of your life”

Happy Feast of the Transfiguration of our Blessed Lord!
God Bless! Live Jesus!

5 Aug (Based on Mt 15:21-28)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFSLeave a comment

Years back, in the late 1900’s, engineers were asked to give their opinions on a possible railroad through the Andes Mountains

(Andes is the longest continental mountain range in the world; it passes through seven South American countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina)

They concluded that the job would be an impossible one.

However, as a last resort, an engineer from Poland named Ernest Malinowski was called in.

Malinowski’s reputation as an engineer was famous, but he was in the aging sixtieth year of his life at that time.
The authorities feared to impose such a rigorous task on the old man.

Malinowski, however, assured the representatives that the job could be done.

The railway began to worm its way across the Andes from Peru with sixty-two tunnels and thirty bridges along its way.
• One tunnel ran up to 4,000 feet in length, 15,000 feet above the level of the sea.
• On two occasions, revolutions in some of the countries through which the railroad passed, held up construction.
• Once Malinowski had to even flee to Peru and remain in exile for a time

But nothing could prevent the old man in completing the engineering feat.

By 1880, work was completed on what, till recent times (2006), was the highest railroad in the world.

Malinowski had many barriers towards the achievement of this grand feat…
… The problems arising out of old age
… The challenging mountainous terrains
… The impossibility expressed by many other engineers

However, nothing of it could deter his determination in achieving what he wanted!

Life rewards abundantly, those who are willing to challenge the barriers and be persistent in overcoming them!

The Gospel of the Day presents the beautiful story of a mother who dared to “break through” the mountainous terrains of religious prejudices, social ignominy and personal misery to  bridge blessings from God for her precious daughter.

Jesus had withdrawn to the district of Tyre and Sidon (Mt 15:21)

In the Old Testament times, this region was better known as the area of the tribes of the Canaanites.
• Over the years, the land had grown in paganism as well as corruption.

Their presence was a strong threat to the purity of Israel’s religion and morality.

Therefore, there was a long history of spiritual and military clashes between the Israelites and Canaanites.

It was in this place that Jesus meets one of them – a woman, whose daughter had been “severely possessed by a demon” (Mt 15:22b)

The presence of “that” woman, however, made the disciples of Jesus, to complain to their Master, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us” (Mt 15: 23b)

At this juncture, we hear two cries…
 One – the cry of the woman
 The other – the cry of the disciples

 The woman cried out of helplessness and out of deep misery – for the “unclean” demon to be cast away from her daughter
 The disciples cried out in wretchedness and disgust – for the “unclean” woman to be cast away from their presence

It’s interesting to note the wordplay in Greek,  in the words of the disciples and those of the woman…

 The disciples uttered, “APOLYSON – send her away”
 The woman cried, “KYRIE ELEISON – have mercy, Lord”

These two similar-sounding yet contradicting choruses were ringing in the air – “Apolyson – Kyrie Eleison… Apolyson – Kyrie Eleison”

The Master then stepped in to say, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel… It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs” (Mt 15: 24, 26)

Perhaps the addressing of Jesus as a “dog” would have come as no surprise to the Canaanite woman.

It was a reminder of the sharp distinction that existed, historically, between the Blessed Israelites and the Cursed Canaanites.
 The Jews “were” considered as the “children” and the Canaanites (Gentiles) “were” considered as “dogs”

And in every house, the children get fed first… not the dogs!

But the figurative tone set forth by Jesus, found its amazing reply in the words of the Canaanite woman, “Yes, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters” (Mt 15: 27)

Here was a glorious acknowledgement by the woman…
“Yes, I am a Canaanite, and considered to be a dog.
I do acknowledge that Israelites have a special privilege in the order of God’s grace.

But we too, deserve the Grace of God that is due to all people, in general!”

I demand not the privileged bread that is reserved to the mighty….
But, just the crumbs of Your grace will suffice in healing my ailing daughter!”

That was an amazing reply of persistent faith!

The mountainous terrains had been broken!
No religious prejudices, no social ignominy or no personal misery could prevent the bold faith of the woman to bridge the blessings of God’s healing!

Yes, life rewards abundantly, those who are willing to challenge the barriers and be persistent in overcoming them!

With immense pride, the Lord proclaimed, “O Woman, great is your faith” (Mt 15: 28)

Do we also seek to possess such kind of a tremendous faith and unperturbed persistence?
• Sometimes we hear – like the cries of the disciples – discouraging voices and refraining chants…
• Sometimes we have to encounter the agonizingly painful and silent response of the Lord…
• Sometimes we have to bear humiliating challenges to our prayers and even disturbing answers from the Divine..

Yet, like this wonderful mother, who was determined to break down every “mountain” of barrier, for the sake of a miracle for her daughter…
… do we remain courageous, firm and bold in our faith and trust in the Lord?

St Francis de Sales says, “when you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them; try to bend them with gentleness and time.”

May Our Blessed Lord – the God of all peoples – bless us with a firmness in our faith, perseverance in our piety and courage in our convictions!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

4th August ( Based on Mt 14:22-36)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFS2 Comments

In 1805, a young man, at the age of 19,  entered the seminary to be a priest.

After several months of study, he was still not prepared to attend lectures in Latin.
He went to live with a friend who was a priest and who personally tutored him.

Life was throwing a mighty challenge to him:
 Whether he could trust in God or not…
 Whether to continue ahead in life or not…
 Whether he could have his focus on God or not…

This priest-tutor finally persuaded the bishop to ordain him not for his learning, but for his holiness.

A few years later, this young man – now already ordained a priest – was assigned one of the most forsaken villages in the Diocese.

People in this place were highly careless about practising their faith.
• Many indulged themselves in dangerous activities and pastimes.
Life as a missionary was being too arduous and difficult.

Life was again throwing a mighty challenge to him:
 Whether he could trust in God or not…
 Whether to continue ahead in life or not…
 Whether he could have his focus on God or not…

Yet, with increased prayers, fasting and penance, the priest was able to revive and nurture the faith in the land.

The name of this priest is St John Maria Vianney.
He is feted as the Patron Saint of all Priests, and today we celebrate his feast day.

At various stages, life  had pushed him to the corners and there would be questions hurled at him: questions on whether he could trust in God, on whether he could continue ahead and on whether he could have his focus on God.

Our own personal lives at crucial and constant junctures of life faces such dilemmas, isn’t it?
How do we handle and go about facing such torrid queries of life?

The Gospel of the Day seeks to instil hope and courage in such “trying” moments of life.

After the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus dismissed the crowds.
He made the disciples to get into the boat, while He went up to the mountains to pray (Mt 14: 22-23)

Here is a great lesson that Jesus teaches us…

There will be many success stories that would be woven in life.
• Yet, all those occasions ought to lead us closer to God  – the source of every success.

Every success in life ought to, not make us proud – instead, in humility, lead us to grow closer to God – in gratitude and for greater strength.

There will also be times when the sun shines bright and there are many admirers thronging our life.
• Yet, all those occasions ought to make us realise that in God alone ought to be my true joy and satisfaction.

Every joy of life ought to, not make us lose ourselves in the thickets of achievements – instead, in meekness, help us to depend more on God – in trust and for greater faith.

As the disciples were lost on the sea, with the winds and waves turning against them, they saw Jesus walking on the sea (Mt 14: 25)

However, Jesus sought to drive away every ‘ghostly fears’ and assured them of His presence.

Peter, however, the leader of the gang took the initiative of going towards Jesus and walking on the water.
He even made his first steps on the waters.

However, when he saw the mighty winds, he got frightened and cried out, “Lord, save me” (Mt 14: 30)

Immediately, the Gospel says, “Jesus stretched out His Hand and caught him and said to him ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'” (Mt 14: 31)

Here was life throwing a mighty challenge to Peter:
 Whether he could trust in God or not…
 Whether to continue ahead in life or not…
 Whether he could have his focus on God or not…

As long as he had his focus on the Lord, things were fine

But the moment, he wavered in this “focus”, Peter began to sink

The boats of our Christian lives often pass through the stormy waters of problems and difficulties.
There will be many moments when our faith makes attempts “to walk on the waters” with the Lord.

• As long as we keep our focus on Him, things would be fine.
• As long as we don’t look at the waters and instead look on to Jesus, things would be good.

But the moment there is a “deviation” in this focus – there will be the “sinking” experience!

Can we grow in our trust… in being always focussed on the Lord?

St John Mary Vianney, whose feast we celebrate today, is an inspiration for us towards building a life of dependence and focus on the Lord alone.
 He had many moments to let go of life, in despair and discouragement.
 He had many stages when it was hard to continue on in life
Yet, he was constantly able to keep his focus on the Lord and live a life of “immense trust and obedience”.

May the intercession  and inspiration of this great Saint – St John Mary Vianney – help us to lead a life ‘focussed’ on the Lord!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

3rd August ( Based on Mt 14: 13-21)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFS3 Comments

The first half of the 17th century saw Germany finding itself in the midst of wars, famines and pestilences.

In one of the cities named Eilenburg, lived a pastor by name Martin Rinkart.

Plague had swept through the town and the Thirty Years’ War had caused major wreckage among the people.

On one particular day, Rinkart had to conduct up to 50 funerals a day – some including the members of his own family.

Yet, when darkness and destruction was raging hard, Pastor Rinkart wrote as many as 66 sacred hymns.

Among them, was the song, “Now thank we all our God!”
(This hymn is included in the Hymns for Night Prayers in the Divine Office Prayer Book)

“Now thank we all our God, With heart and hands and voices
Who wondrous things hath done, In whom His world rejoices

Who from our mothers’ arms, Hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, And still is ours today”

That was amazing, isn’t it?

• As sorrow was encompassing him all around, Rinkart could still sing of the gratitude to God
• As the sea of grief surrounded and lashed his life, he could still chant the hymns of thanksgiving

 Thankfulness does not always have to bear an appointment with prosperity and peace, isn’t it?
 Gratitude does not necessarily have a date with ‘all things being fine’, isn’t it?

Our entire life – be it entrenched with joy or ingrained with moments of grief – ought to become a ‘demonstration of thankfulness and gratitude’.

The Gospel of the Day presents the beautiful picture of Jesus “raising His heart in gratitude” even in discouraging and despairing moments.

The Gospel passage is the familiar episode of the multiplication of the loaves.

Humanly considered, the scene was pretty discouraging and daunting…
• It was a deserted area
• Vast crowds of people – many who had followed Jesus on foot – had spent a large part of the day with the Lord.
• It was already evening and the time was running out for the people to get food for themselves

When the disciples looked at the massive challenge that was put forward by Jesus  – “Give them some food yourselves” (Mt 114:16) – they would have been totally in despair and confusion.

The challenge of Jesus had given them every opportunity to complain and whine…
…. Is our Master gone crazy in telling us to provide food for such a massive crowd, without having any resources at hand?
… Has our Master forgotten the basics of economics – that demand can be met only when there is a proper supply?
… Is this our Master’s way of humiliating and insulting us before such a large multitude?

 There was hardly anything to look forward to…
 There was absolutely no trace of hope coming on the way…

• Tension and worry was in the air…
• Clouds of despair and apprehension were getting thicker…

Yet, with great confidence and trust, Jesus, the Master was an epitome of thankfulness and gratefulness!

As the saying goes:
“Worthwhile is the smile of the boy who can still grin, when his two front teeth are knocked off!”

Making the crowds sit, Jesus exhibits a wonderful act of gratitude.
“Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, Jesus said the blessing…” (Mt 14: 19)

It was as if the Lord was singing a hymn in His heart,
“O may this bounteous God, Through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts, And blessed peace to cheer us,

And keep us in His grace, And guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all ills, In this world and the next”

The two fish and the five loaves – humanly speaking – were nothing before the mighty crowd.
Yet, our Blessed Lord could chant the strains of thanksgiving in His Heart!

Gratitude is a beautiful flower that blooms in a garden nurtured by the waters of trust and hope in God!

And so the Lord invites that our entire life – be it entrenched with joy or ingrained with moments of grief – ought to become a ‘demonstration of thankfulness and gratitude’.

 Today our life maybe at the crossroads
 Today our hearts may be touching rock bottom due to many problems and worries.

Yet, can we take heart, and like Jesus, dare to sing a hymn of thanks and gratitude?

Can we lift up the five loaves and two fish…
…. of our broken dreams and our shattered hopes
… of our blurred vision and our lost enthusiasm
… of our confused present and our uncertain future…
… and OFFER it up to God – “looking to heaven and saying the blessing”?

• A miracle might not seem anywhere in sight…
• A wonder may be improbable as per our calculations…

But when one lifts up one’s heart in gratitude – despite the hopelessness and the despondency around – the God of all wonders will surely multiply blessings in our lives and “we shall be filled and satisfied with His glory!”

Thanksgiving grows out of a heart of immense certainty and confidence in God.

 The evening clouds of despair might be descending fast in our lives…
 Our lives maybe estranged in the wilderness of loneliness and dejection..

Yet, may our Blessed Lord inspire and give us the grace to make our lives a constant ‘demonstration of thankfulness and gratitude’.

May we always sing:
” All praise and thanks to God, the Father, now be given,
The Son and Him Who reigns, With Them in highest Heaven;

The one eternal God, Whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore!

God Bless! Live Jesus!