“Hold on to the Lord, and victory will be ours!”

(Based on 1 Sam 1:9-20 and Mk 1:21-28 – Tuesday of the 1st Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

One of the very beautiful descriptions of a “Prophet” goes thus:
A prophet is someone…
… who comforts the disturbed
… and disturbs the comforted!

This description finds its expression in the lives of Prophets in the Bible

They were people…
… who offered great comfort and consolation to those in difficulty and distress

At the same time, they were people…
… who outrightly condemned those who led a comfortable life – away from God and His Commandments
… who vehemently opposed the ways of those who oppressed the poor

Jesus is the “Prophet of all prophets!”

The perfection and the fullness of all prophets!

And so, undoubtedly, Jesus, by His Prophetic Ministry also greatly upheld the principle of being the one…
… who comforts the disturbed
… and disturbs the comforted!

The Gospel of the Day presents such an action of encounter…
… where on side a group of people, who are listening to Jesus, are comforted
… while on the other side, some are extremely disturbed by the Prophetic Presence of Jesus!

An encounter between the Kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God

Jesus is in the synagogue on the Sabbath Day and addressing the people (Mk 1:21)

His prophetic teaching is full of power and conviction!

When one is deeply convinced of one’s beliefs, it overflows into one’s words and actions

As He taught the people, Jesus encounters a man with an unclean spirit, who cried out,” What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?” (Mk 1: 24)

Where there is light, darkness cannot stand too long…

Imagine this situation…
Jesus had been preaching for a while in the synagogue.
All people were in rapt attention & awe, listening to His gracious words.

But in the midst of them.. was this man, with an unclean spirit.
He also was patiently hearing…

But as the bold words flowed from Jesus, the spirit within this man began to disturb.

The Lord’s Voice…
… began to reverberate his heart and mind…
He began to get agitated.

And finally, he could no longer tolerate and with a massive and shrieking voice, he cried, “What have you got to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?!”

The cry of the man is not something in isolation….

This cry is often repeated by all of us too: “What have you got to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”

When we are living a life of coziness and comforts…
And we are encountered with situations of misery of people…

We hear the words of the Lord to reach out to them in compassion and love.
But, often we cry out, “What have you got to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”

When we are living a life in sin, bad habits and without even a sense of guilt…
And we are encountered by caring people who remind us of our need to give up such things…

We hear the words of the Lord to renew and mend our lives in purity and holiness.
But, often we cry out, “What have you got to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”

When we are going through our life without proper sacraments and religious practices…
And we are encountered by constant exhortations to deepen our spiritual life…

We hear the words of the Lord to return to Him in humility and repentance.
But, often we cry out, “What have you got to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”

Often, we are happy to remain with the spirit of luxury, the spirit of casualness, the spirit of indifference, the spirit of lukewarmness, the spirit of pleasures etc…
We don’t like being disturbed.
We don’t like being questioned.
We don’t like being shaken up.

If we are, we get agitated and irritated… we resist and we get wild.
We even shout out: “What have you got to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”

But, in all such situations, the Lord wants to empower us with His powerful & bold words, “QUIET! Come out of him” (Mk 1: 25)

Yes, Jesus the Prophet, mightily challenges all of us!

He is the Great Prophet
… who comforts the disturbed
… and disturbs the comforted!

Our life is a constant warfare with the forces of the evil and the spirit of darkness.
It’s a battle that rages strongly

But let us not be afraid…
The powerful and awe-inspiring Lord is on our side!
Let us hold on to Him, and victory will be ours!

Today we seek the intercession of St. Hilary of Poitiers, a 4th-century bishop and Doctor of the Church…
… who lived during a time of deep division and confusion in the Church.

Known as the “Athanasius of the West,” he courageously defended the divinity of Christ against Arianism, even suffering exile for the truth.

May his faith, wisdom, and perseverance inspire us to remain rooted in truth and charity amid the challenges of our own time.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Allowing the Lord to walk into our ordinary lives and accepting His invitation to be partakers of the extraordinary and effervescent works of the Kingdom!”

(Based on 1 Sam 1:1-8 and Mk 1:14-20 -n Monday of the 1st Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

A story is said of a rich man – much attached to possessions and wealth – who heard a sermon which exhorted to “Let God” work in one’s life.

The example cited was of how, at the creation of the world, God commanded a word and things were created…
… let there be light
… let there be the firmament and the waters
… let there be the living creatures etc

“Letting God” to work would allow miracles to take place in one’s life

Even though this man was not a very practising Catholic, and instead was much attached to his wealth…
… these words “Let God”… “Let God”… kept ringing in his hears.

However, he was not sure, how “to Let God” in his life.

As he sat in the evening with his family, his six year old child came to him, telling him, “Pappa, our catechism teacher asked us to write the title of today’s sermon as a homework. Would you kindly check if what I have written is right…?”

And so saying, the little boy handed over the book

The man was surprised to see the title written as “LET GO”
… and there it flashed to him: The way to “Let God” was to “Let Go!”

Yes…
“Letting God” to work in life…
… begins with “Letting Go!”

Have we discovered this fundamental truth of Christian Discipleship?

The Gospel of the Day is this beautiful presentation of the first disciples of Jesus, who “let go”…
… in order to follow Jesus

We have entered into the 1st Week of the Ordinary Times of the Liturgical Year with the Feast of the Baptism.

The “expectant and hopeful purple colours of Advent” and the “golden and white festive colours of the Christmastide” are now kept aside…
… and its time to live the “sublime and green colours of the Ordinary Time”

The Gospel presents Jesus entering into the “ordinary situations” of the people…
… and inviting them to be partakers of the “extraordinary and effervescent works of the Kingdom!”

The Gospel says:
“And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.” (Mk 1:16)

“And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.” (Mk 1:19)

Simon, Andrew, James and John – would have begun their day just like any other day…
… hoping for a good catch
… but also wary that they may end up without much to carry back home

But Divine Providence had a special day in store for them

Jesus encounters these people on a “regular and ordinary day”
… only to convert that day to a “very special day of blessing and grace!”

Each of us also, most probably, begin our day, just like any other regular days…
… with mundane tasks
… regular errands and similar schedules

But if we are open and willing to allow the Lord to enter into our lives…
… each day can become a “very special day of blessing and grace!”

Yes, each day can indeed become “the day that the Lord has made” (Ps 118:24)…
… if we remain open to God’s Voice and cooperate with His Merciful Grace in our lives!

Simon, Andrew, James and John, the first disciples, responded to the call of the Lord

And they had their lives transformed.

The Lord wishes to work the same transformation in our lives as well.

But for this, we need to “let go”

Yes, we need to “Let Go” in order “to Let God” work beautiful miracles in our lives

“Let go” of our tendencies to be attached to material possessions and giving priorities only to worldly riches…
… instead, focus more on the spiritual and eternal realities of life!

“Let go” of our egoistic attitudes…
… instead, accommodate and extend God’s Love to people with the virtues of forgiveness, humility and acceptance!

“Let go” of our bad habits and sinful inclinations…
… instead, put on the vestment of holiness and purity of life!

Life, of course, is sometimes apparently quite harsh and humiliating…
… just like it was to Hannah, as we see in the First Reading of the day (1 Sam 1:1-8)

Yet, in the very ordinary and painful situation of her life, the Lord was silently at work.

By trusting and remaining faithful, Hannah allowed the Lord to walk into her wounded ordinariness.
And there, God began His extraordinary and life-giving work of the Kingdom.

The Lord desires to walk into our ordinary lives…
… and offers us the invitation to be partakers of the “extraordinary and effervescent works of the Kingdom!”

Shall we “let go”….?
… so that we can “let God….”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Allowing the fire of God’s Love that has been kindled in us at Baptism, to blaze in us, setting many other souls on fire for love of God!”

(Based on the Baptism of the Lord)

An incident is told about St Katherine of Alexandria.

Katherine was a noble and learned young woman in this cultural hub of the ancient world of the 4th century.

She was a Christian.
She had attained a lot of popularity in the town of Alexandria.

This was the time of the persecution of Christians by Emperor Maxentius.

Christians were given only two options:
Worshipping the emperor (which would violate the First Commandment)…
… or being put to death

The Governor of Alexandria also came up with another plan to humiliate and discourage the Christians.

He invited Katherine to debate a group of fifteen (some say 50) of the best pagan philosophers and orators…
… hoping that this dispute would refute all her pro-Christian arguments and thus morally discourage other Christians as well!

Katherine accepted the challenge.

They gathered in the governor’s palace and the discussion began.
But the plan backfired.

Instead of Katherine being converted, several members of the panel (some sources say all members were converted!)

They asked for baptism immediately, so as to receive God’s Grace into their souls.
But the governor was furious and condemned them all to immediate death.

To that, Katherine with concern and care assured all the new converts that since they so sincerely desired to receive the sacrament…
… their own blood would take the place of water, and their own martyrdoms would take the place of baptism.

Those men were willing to give up everything else, for their life and friendship with Jesus Christ!

That’s the power of God’s Love!
And that’s the Power of Witnessing to God’s Love…
… which is initiated at Baptism!

The fire of God’s Love that was kindled in St Katherine of Alexandria, at Baptism…
… continued to blaze in her, setting many other souls on fire for love of God!

Does the Fire of Love, that had been kindled in us, at our Baptism…
… continue to blaze powerfully in us?

Or has the fire been diminished and lessened?

Today, Holy Mother the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus…
… with an invitation: “Fan into flames” (Cf. 2 Tim 1:6) the fire of God’s Love that has been kindled in us, at our Baptism

The event of the Baptism of the Lord is narrated in all the Synoptic Gospels…
… and the Gospel of St John mentions the experience of St John the Baptist at the Baptism of Jesus.

One important aspect that the Baptism of Jesus teaches us is that, it is the first public manifestation of Christ…
… and is a foreshadowing of the saving action that would be fully accomplished on the Cross.

On the Cross, our Blessed Lord identifies Himself with sinners…
… by embracing the enormous weight of humanity’s sinfulness

At Baptism, by submersion into the waters of River Jordan, Jesus identifies Himself with sinners, and embraces everyone to a New Life in Him!
… the immersion into the waters of Jordan symbolises His Death!
… the rising from the deep waters symbolise His Resurrection!

St Ambrose reminds us: “The Lord was Baptized, not to be cleansed Himself, but to cleanse the waters…
… so that those waters, cleansed by the flesh of Christ which knew no sin, might have the power of Baptism!”

The Baptism of Jesus, then, is the great reminder to all humanity:
1) We are all sinners, and we can find Mercy only in Jesus, the Saviour of the world
2) We are all bestowed with the gift of being a child of God, and called to live in holiness

Today is a day when we need to examine and renew our life:
… Have I embraced Jesus as the only Master of my life, and do I give priority to God’s Will in my life?
… Do I manifest Christ’s love in all my deeds, and thus draw many people to God’s Kingdom?
… What are the weak spots of sins in my life, and can I make a resolution today to give them up?
… Do I daily nurture my life of holiness, by consciously practising virtues that I need to grow in?

Venerable Fulton Sheen wonderfully illustrates the importance of the Rite of Baptism: “It may be objected, what good does a little water do, when poured upon the head of a child?

The water in the boiler can do nothing of and by itself, nor can the water on the head of a child.

But when the water in the boiler is united to the mind of an engineer, it can drive an engine across a continent or a ship across the sea.
… so too, when water is united to the Power of God, it can do more than change a crystal into life.
It can take a creature and convert him into a child of God!”

The Baptism of Jesus is a reminder to all of us of our Mission to live as “Alter Christus – Another Christ!”

His deeds of compassion and love, ought to be imitated by all of us, in our works
His words of transformation and love, ought to be echoed by all of us, in our interactions
His acts of self-giving and forgiveness, ought to be emulated, in our relationships with one another

Yes, the fire of God’s Love that has been kindled in us at Baptism…
… ought to continue to blaze in us, setting many other souls on fire for love of God!

Happy Feast to all of us, baptized with our Dearest Lord!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Sailing together with the Lord over the clean waters of humility and meekness!”

(Based on 1 John 5:14-21 and Jn 3:22-30 – Saturday after Epiphany)

Imagine a theatre on opening night.

The hall is packed.
The lights dim.
The curtain rises.
Behind the scenes is a stagehand.

(A stagehand is a person who works behind the scenes in a theatre, to manage the technical and physical aspects of a production.

He is responsible for ensuring that sets, lighting, sound, and props are ready for performances)

The stageman quietly goes about his work….
… adjusting lights, moving props, opening curtains etc.

Every scene runs perfectly…
The actors shine…
The story unfolds beautifully.

At no point does the stagehand step onto the stage.
He is unseen. He is unheard. He is unnoticed.
The final curtain falls.
The applause roars.

Afterward, one curious spectator approaches him and asks:
“All this time… you were here…
Why didn’t you come on stage?
Why didn’t you let people see you?”

The stagehand smiles and answers:
“If they see me, they will not see the story.

My work is not to be noticed…
… it is to let the story shine.”

This is so beautiful an example for our Christian living: Humility is working behind the scenes…
… so that Christ takes the spotlight!

This was the hallmark of the ministry of John the Baptist
He prepared the way.
He baptized.
He called people to repentance.

And then he stepped aside…
… so that Jesus alone could be seen as the Light.

The Gospel of the day invites and challenges us to ponder over this aspect…
… by presenting the dramatically humble personality of John the Baptist!

One of the most supreme and vital messages that we learn from the life of John the Baptist is Humility – a virtue in direct contrast to the dangerous vice of Pride!

This is what we learn from the life of St John the Baptist.

He sought not his own way, but the way of the One who sent him.
He wanted not his light to shine, but the Light of Him who sent him.

The Gospel of the day has a scene of a dispute arising.

John the Baptist, by his bold preaching and his radical life-style, had attracted many disciples.

Some of these disciples come and told John: “Rabbi, the One who was with you across the Jordan, to Whom you testified, here He is baptizing, and everyone is coming to Him” (Jn 3:26)

Think of the confusion of these disciples of John…

Their teacher who baptized, is now being overshadowed.

John had preached about repentance, had baptized and had pointed to the coming Messiah.

This should have been a time for John’s disciples to celebrate, now that Jesus was coming to the forefront!

But they forgot an important aspect of ministry…
… that we are doing all for HIM!

But John the Baptist remained unperturbed and undisturbed.

He stood firm…
… because his eyes were fixed on “the One greater than himself.”

He displayed an angelic countenance of humility!

As St Augustine says: “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.”

Like a good coach, who drills discipline and restraint into “his men”…
… John tells his disciples: “Let’s get back to the basics!”

John reminds His disciples that He is only the friend of the bridegroom… (Jn 3:29)

“The friend of the bridegroom” was a term used in Jewish weddings of the time.
This friend would:

Stand by the bridegroom, assisting him in ceremonial preparations and serving as witness
Encouraging joy and overseeing the celebration
Standing as an advocate and protector

John reminds His disciples that his ministry is not of his own, but received from God!
… that He is not to take centre-stage, but only the One greater than him!
… that He was not to be the Messiah, but only the forerunner of the Messiah!

In our life, it is easy for us to lose our focus from the Lord and have a selfish preferences for ourselves…

In our works, we often forget the blessings that the Lord has showered on us…
… and instead tend to attribute all successes to our own talents and abilities.

In our ministry, we lose sight of the Lord, the
real purposes of our vocation and the mission…
… and instead seek to fulfil our personal agenda and motives.

It is easy to bask in the glory of popularity and fame…
… and to enjoy the sunshine of reputations and recognitions.

But let them never lead us to have a “self-centred” approach of just “looking into” ourselves.

Let us have the humility to accept that it is God’s power being manifested in our works…
… And it is by His Grace that we move forward every moment of our life

Yes, “drown” not in the murky waters of pride, egoism and selfishness…

Rather “sail” together with the Lord over the clean waters of humility and meekness!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Extending to the Lord our hands… our hearts… our lives…!

(Based on 1 John 5:5-13 and Lk 5:12-16 – Friday after Epiphany)

Life sometimes is quite strange!

Often, when things go all well, and it seems that everything is fine
… disasters strike in life.

This is the experience of many of us in our lives.

Think of a man who is in his early thirties…

He has a wonderful wife, with two lovely children.
It’s a home with a lot of joy and happiness.

One day, the man comes back home after work – he is a mason.

On coming back, he informs his wife of a tiny sore that has been nagging him for sometime
This sore had turned a bit reddish after the heavy day’s of work.

With much insistence and persuasion by the wife, the man agrees to show it to a doctor.

After the initial check-up, the doctor tells them: “Well, the sore certainly has grown a bit. I have some of my initial observations, but I need to work on them still.
Why don’t you stay up here in the hospital for a few days, so that I can further examine?”
And so he agrees.

As days pass, the sore gets more infectious.
The doctor now is ready with his well-studied and examined decision:

“I am sorry to inform you… but you are infected with… Leprosy!”

Hearing this, the man is terrified.
Leprosy, he knew, was not just an ordinary sickness.

It was a slow death sentence – distanced from family, distanced from society, distanced from self!

Imagine that situation of the happy living family!

The man is now to leave his wife and children; his land and work…
… He is to go and live with people who were afflicted with a similar disease.
This was the law of the land.
This was the regulation practised in this area.

The Law required the lepers to keep as far away as possible from all healthy people.

Whenever someone drew near who did not have leprosy, the leper was supposed to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”

So, with a heavy heart and a crushed spirit, the man leaves his loving wife and two children.
He goes off alone… to die!

He couldn’t even have an animal for a companion.

If he touched even a dog, the dog had to be killed so that it did not carry the disease back into the city.

Life as a leper was just too horrible and miserable.

Life sometimes is indeed quite strange!

The Gospel of the Day presents one such leper… A man who was “full of leprosy” (Lk 5:12)

One fine day, however, this leper looks up and sees a small group of people following a Man.

That Man – the leader – he comes to know… is Jesus.

The leper has heard about Jesus.

He wished to hear Him.
But the Law did not permit to go close!

As the group passes their way, this leper remembers what the Law taught Him.

And he begins to shout, “Unclean! Unclean! I have leprosy! Stay away from me! Unclean!”

But then a strange thing happens! Jesus keeps coming closer to him.

His shout increases… louder goes his cries…”Unclean, Unclean!”

But Jesus keeps coming closer and closer… till He has reached the leper!

The leper has now been afflicted probably for many years. He misses his family very deeply.

He knows he is at the edge of life
… undergoing a slow death!

But…
… Before him, now stands, someone, Who he has heard, has tremendous power!
… Before him, now stands, someone, Who he has heard, can unshackle any bondage!

And so, with tears filling his eyes and dread filling his shocked face, he asks, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean!” (Lk 5:12)

It was a cry of agony.
It was a wail of immense anguish.

He had suffered much.
He had been separated from loved ones for long.
Now he wanted a deliverance.
He wanted freedom from the captivity.
He wanted a wholesome life in his loathsome existence!

And then comes the spectacular words of Jesus, “I will. Be clean!” (Lk 5:13)

The Lord touches him!

His body was touched!
His heart was healed!
His soul was cleansed!
Life was restored! Happiness was returned!

Do you and I also feel sometimes like a leper?

Situations of happiness being snatched away
Moments of love and affection being afflicted
Times of joy, serenity and calmness being affected
Unloved? Rejected? Despised? Abused?
Helpless? Hopeless? Dying?

We may be going through hard times
We may feel that life is unfair to us
We may feel that existence is meaningless

But…
… The Lord wants to restore us!
… He wants to make us whole again!

Life is strange…
… but the Power of the Lord is more strong!

Life is complicated…
… but the Grace of the Lord is more compelling!

The Lord is here to touch us!

Let’s extend to Him our hands… our hearts… our lives…!

God Bless! Live Jesus!