PRAY AS JESUS PRAYS

October 6, 2010
Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 11:1-4

Inspiring to Pray:

Prayer was for Jesus more than food and drink. He gave up food for several days, but not prayer. If His day was full of work, He found night time enough to pray. The disciples noticed Him praying alone in the wilderness no matter how exhausted He was because of the work of the day. They were impressed and inspired by the way Jesus prayed. The prayer of Jesus drew His disciples to Him. And they wanted to pray like Jesus. How about me? Do I inspire others to pray? Do those who are in my household and community ask me to teach them pray the way I pray? How prayerful am I?

The Model Prayer:

The Lord’s Prayer is a model and pattern of all Christian prayers. The prayer Jesus taught His disciples is “how” we need to pray more than “what” we ought to pray. A brief analysis of the Lord’s prayer reveals three elements and two attitudes of prayer. The three elements are: praise, petition and penance. The two attitudes are: Being a child of God and being a brother/sister to the entire human race.

The Three Elements of Prayer:

Praise:
The first part of the Lord’s prayer is about God and His Domain. We call on the Father, praise His name, desire His Kingdom, determine to do His will and lift our hearts to the heavens. Adoration, praise and glory are due to God. It is in this praise that we realize the descent of heaven on earth. Prayer then is an invitation to live in the heavenly abode; a deep longing to make the earth a home of God the Father where His holy will reigns.

Petition:
The second part of the Lord’s prayer is petition, asking the Father in confidence of all my needs—physical, spiritual, relational and emotional. Prayer is naming my needs before God. I become aware of my nothingness, needs and imperfections. I bring them to the Lord in complete trust that He will grand them to me. If not to Him where else shall I go? He is my Father, my creator, my sustainer and my provider. I need to be clear of what I am asking for.

Penance:
Prayer of petition is coupled with the acts of penance. I realize that what I pray for, I need to practice. My needs are connected with the needs of others as well. A prayer without the element of penance is not a farce. Forgiveness is a conditional grace. I forgive others and I am forgiven by the Father. In sharing the blessings I have received from God with others I receive more blessings from God. I cannot stand before God with an unforgiving and selfish heart. This is why prayer is not so much of utterances rather of actions.

The Attitudes of Prayer:

I learn the prayer of Jesus in as much as I realize my identity as a child of God and a member of the human family. Prayer then is about relationships. It is remaining in and deepening the relationship with God the Father and with my brothers and sisters. “Our Father in Heaven” is also Our Father on earth. This attitude brings me not only confidence and trust in the love of God but also a deepening intimate relationship and abiding presence. My awareness of being a child of God makes my prayer a sweet moment of entering the core of the heart of God. If God is my Father what shall I fear and what shall I lack? Yet, how can I call God my Father if I do not consider my brothers and sisters as children of God as well. This is why the Lord ’s Prayer is more of a community prayer than a personal prayer. Jesus reminds us to call God “our Father” and not “my Father”. There is no tint of selfishness or self-centeredness in prayer. It is not about me, but about us, the human family. Even when I pray for my basic needs and personal intentions, I am also praying for my brothers and sisters. No wonder, Jesus reminded us that God will treat us the way we treat our brothers and sisters. As I forgive others I will be forgiven.

Lord, teach me to pray. Help me to praise you with all my being, strength and will. Help me Lord to atone my sins and forgive others their faults. You are my Father; help me to love my brothers and sisters as you love me. Amen!

GOOD NEWS!

September 21, 2010
Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
Matthew 9:9-13

Good News and Bad News:

“Good news is bad news, bad news is good news, no news is bad news”. This is the journalistic principle on which the media firms operate. This media law implies that good news (positive stories, pleasant happenings) is bad news for media, for they do not spiral subscription (audience)ratings. Bad news (negative stories, war, kidnapping, terrorist acts, violence and sufferings) is always good news for the media firms for they have the highest viewership ratings and there by they bring in the highest revenue. Media feeds on bad news--breaking stories--on which people are hooked. No news (news blackout, status quo, peaceful situation) is bad news for the media firms because such situations bring them little revenue. This “news principle” is based on the human tendency to magnify what is perceived to be bad, evil and unacceptable. Indeed, our media today thrives on bad news. And humanity seems to be happy being hooked on to bad news.

Against such “culture of bad news”, Jesus came ushering in a culture of good news. The story of Jesus—the Gospel is the Good News. Jesus not only gave us the good news of the Kingdom of God, He also became the Good News for us. Indeed, the message and the person of Jesus are identical, and hence is the Eternal Good News for the entire human race.

We celebrate today the feast of Mathew, the Apostle and Evangelist. Mathew was drawn to the Good News that Jesus is, accepted the call of the Gospel and became a proclaimer and channel of the Good News as he encoded the Gospel for the generations to come.

But not everyone thought of Jesus as good news. When the sinners, outcasts, tax collectors and the untouchables sensed the presence of God in Jesus and were happy moving with Him, eating with Him and making friends with Him, the Pharisees and scribes saw Jesus as a bad news. They were shocked by the scandalous behavior of Jesus in being friends with the sinners and sharing intimate moments with them in their table fellowship.

The Triple Hearts:

The story of the call of Mathew is a revelation of the heart of God, the heart of the sinner and the heart of the Pharisees.

The Heart of Jesus:

Jesus is comfortable with the socially outcasts and the public sinners. He feels drawn towards the repentant sinners so much that He recognizes His purpose of incarnation as one exclusively for the sinners. He feels welcome and acceptance in their midst. He feels happy when the sinners turn to Him. He opens His heart and reveals His mercy. Merciful and compassionate is the heart of Jesus. His heart delights not so much in sacrifices and prayers, but more so in mercy and compassion. This is why He dared to do the unpopular and “scandalous” in calling Mathew, a tax collector into the inner circle of His disciples, to be with Him and to be sent out. In the call of Mathew, Jesus is calling all the sinners to Him. The heart of Jesus is the ultimate refuge and solace for all the sinners. Now I have hope, I am welcome and accepted in the presence of God. A repentant sinner is the Good News for Jesus.

The Heart of a Repentant Sinner:

Even as the repentant sinner is the delight of the Lord, the heart of the repentant sinner is open for the grace and mercy of God. Mathew knew his identity in the society as a tax-collector. He does not seem to be too happy living with that identity. His heart longed for more. And He found Jesus. Or rather, it was Jesus who found Him. At the spark of His grace, Mathew’s heart leaped for joy. Jesus called Him, he responded with gratitude. Mathew had a heart so simple, unassuming and receptive. His heart was full of gratitude for the immense mercy Jesus poured on Him. In calling a man like Mathew with a history of disrepute, Jesus did not make a mistake. The Divine heart of mercy found a receptive, humble, generous heart of a sinner. Mathew became a good news for Jesus.

The Heart of the Pharisee:

The Pharisee is a symbol of self-righteousness. His self-imposed image of being the standard bearer of the society and the prince of God makes him arrogant and rude. The norm of perfection is himself. Such great pride in his heart impels him to be a perennial critic of everyone other than himself. This is why He would think that he is holy, so holy that even God Himself is unholy. His heart feels bad that Jesus is imperfect because He makes friends with the sinners and eats with the “unclean” people. His heart is closed to the light of Christ and the streams of grace. Mercy and compassion have no place in his heart. He feels that he is so good that He does not need the grace and forgiveness of God. His heart is beyond redemption. Jesus finds helpless in saving such a heart. Indeed, His mercy is for the sinners, those who consider themselves sick, in need of His healing grace.

Points to Ponder:

What heart do I have? Do I have the heart of Jesus, a heart full of compassion, mercy and love? Do I have the heart of an Apostle and evangelist, delighting in the heart of Jesus, grateful and proclaiming His grace? How open and receptive is my heart towards the forgiving grace of the Lord? How eagerly do I long for and how spontaneously do I give up my “sinful practices” at the call of the Lord? In what areas and situations of my life do I exhibit the pharisaic heart? How do I handle the itch to criticize everyone and demand that everyone should conform to my attitudes and mentality? Am I a promoter of Good News or bad news?

THE WOMEN OF JESUS

September 17, 2010

Friday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time
1 Cor 15:12-20; Luke 8:1-3

The Mission of Jesus:

Jesus is on the move. From town to town, village to village He moves about proclaiming and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God and manifesting the advent of His Kingdom in acts of healing, feeding, exorcising, feeding, caring and life-giving. He seems to be in a hurry so as to reach every nook and corner of the world and to reach out to people of all walks of life, all forms of human situations. He exemplifies the Love of the Heavenly Father in loving the sinners and saints alike, doing good to the religious minded and the atheists alike. Nothing stops Him from His mission—neither acceptance, nor failure. Yet He stops at the sight of the suffering, the destitute and the oppressed. He stops by also the self-righteous, calling them true repentance. Jesus stops by me today. Do I notice His presence and hear His call?

The partners of Jesus:

Establishing the Kingdom of God is the most ambitious project one has ever undertaken in human history. It was hatched right from the beginning of creation straight at the heart of the Heavenly Father. The Kingdom of love, mercy and kindness extends from the heart of God to the heart of man, from the heart man to the heart of God, again, from the heart of man to the hearts of the entire human race. It does not stop there, until it extends to the heart of every being and fiber of the universe. Indeed, this is a project of bringing heaven on earth and bringing the universe to the heavens. Jesus inaugurated it and accomplished it in His life, death and resurrection. Yet, the Kingdom building is a project unfinished. Jesus needs partners. His made the apostles partners of His Kingdom. Many women were also partners of Jesus. Yes, women proved to be great partners of Jesus in His Kingdom building.

The Women of Jesus:

The role of women in the life and Kingdom building of Jesus was one of great importance. A woman offered Him the comfort, care and love of a mother. Mary brought Him up, giving Him birth, teaching Him lessons of love, and showing Him direction. She stood by Him in His birth, infancy, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, and with the community He founded. The first among the evangelists were women like the Samaritan woman and Mary Magdalene. The Canaanite woman and the woman afflicted with hemorrhage were Jesus model of great faith. The poor widow at the temple who contributed few cents at the treasury is the model of great generosity. The sinful woman who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears is Jesus’ model of great love. The sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha were Jesus’ friends and they are highlighted as models of hospitality and discipleship. It is fascinating to notice that in a culture where women were not allowed to mingle with men in public, Jesus had so many women followers, disciples and friends, who not only came to listen to Him, but even more, followed Him wherever He went. They provided for Him and the Apostles from their resources. If not for the support of the women, Jesus’ ministry would fail. So is it with the Church today. Women are not only the most active believers in the Church, they are also the most resourceful when it come to the mission and ministry of the Church. Their faith and faithfulness are seen among the line of saints. Their generosity and love are seen in the financial contributions they make so silently, the way they take care of the physical needs of the Church, the ministers and the missionaries. Their love for Christ is seen also in their dedicated life of religious commitment, the ever growing number and spirit of religious communities. If not for the contributions and support of the women, the Church would be empty, dry and Her ministry would be impossible. Often, they go unnamed, unnoticed and unrecognized. Yet, the Gospel today counts them and names some of them: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna & many others who travelled with Jesus wherever He went, and gave financial support and ministered Him. Jesus loves them all. Only Jesus loves them the way they deserve it—with kindness, compassion, understanding, love and generosity.

Today, I take time to count the women in my ministry who care for me, support me, and strengthen me in building up His Kingdom. May the Lord God, who has noticed their contributions keep them in His care, and give them His abundant grace! May their dreams come true and may their rewards be great in this life and the life to come.

KEEP GOD AT THE CENTER AND ALL ELSE AT THE PERIPHERY

September 5, 2010
Twenty-third Sunday of the Year

Wisdom 9:13-18; Philemon 9b, 12-17; Luke 14:25-33

Jesus enjoyed great popularity. Great crowds followed Him. They followed Him because He impressed them with His words, and mighty deeds. It was at the height of this popularity and fanfare Jesus now made an unpopular demand on His followers. It seems, He was not as much impressed with the crowds as the crowds were with Him. The demands were so uncompromising and obviously difficult. Indeed, Jesus risked his popularity by making such great demands on His disciples.

The Triple demands: You want to be a disciple of Jesus? Here are the requirements: 1) Renounce your relationships, 2) Renounce your comforts, and 3) Renounce your possessions.

A paradoxical command: Anyone who listens to this teaching of Jesus would ask, if becoming a Christian, a disciple of Jesus implies renouncing (“hating”) one’s parents, children, wife, husband, relatives and friends, who can follow this teaching? Have we not learned from early on in our catechism the commandment of God that we shall love, respect and care for our parents? Has not Jesus also taught us that we need to love our brothers and sisters as we love ourselves? How does Jesus make sense, then in His call to renounce all our intimate relationships for us to be his disciples?

Indeed, this teaching of Jesus is paradoxical in nature. Renunciation is not to make us desolate, orphans and miserable. This is “losing in order to gain” and “letting go in order to be complete”. These triple renunciations will make us what we all look for in our relationships, comforts and possessions: happy, whole and contented.

Center and the peripheries: The triple demands of discipleship is all about positioning: position God at the center and everything else at the periphery of my life. Remember, what Jesus said, when He was asked which is the most important commandment in the law— 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Indeed, love of God is the center of all commandments. Everything else is to be positioned at the periphery compared to the Love of God. It is the love of God that gives meaning and purpose for the love of neighbor and the love of self. I love others first and foremost because I love God. How beautiful our world would be when the Love of God is the center of all our relationships, pleasures, pursuits and possessions!

God— the center of all relationships:

The call to renounce (hate) all human relationships then, is a call to deepen our relationships in love. It is a call to make God the center of all my relationships. When God is the center of relationships, all relationships are sacred and holy. There is a tendency for human relationships to grow so exclusive that there is no room for God, so intimate and private that there is no space even for God. It is this tendency that we need to give up, hate and renounce. Instead, allow God to be the center of your family, and every relationship you cherish in your heart. Seek His will for you, consult Him, and share your joys and sorrows, victories and failures, strength and weaknesses… This is a call to transformation, to see God in every person whom you love. St Paul understood and lived this transformation of relationship in a radical way when he said, “Now I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2: 20). Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, whose feast falls this day, verbalized this centrality of God in relationship, when she was asked, how is it that she is able to care for the neglected, abandoned, disfigured, and the dying people with immense love, she said: “I see Jesus in them. It is not a burden but a privilege to serve the Lord in the poor. In their cries I hear the cry of Jesus and in their smiles I see the smile of Jesus. I feel happy doing something beautiful for the Lord”.

God—the Center of my comforts:

Renunciation of comforts, if not for the grace of God, does not have any value in itself. Yet, all comforts and pleasures are sacred when God is the center of my comforts. When I allow God to be the center of my comforts and happiness, I realize another paradox of life: Cross is grace! Taking up my daily crosses no more becomes a burden for me, rather a source of joy, when done in love for the Lord. Cross becomes heavier, unbearable and miserable when I carry them on “my way”. Carry the cross, following the footsteps of Jesus. Jesus will refresh you. Cross is sharing burden. My cross is a source of grace for others. This is what self-less love, service and care all about. Because, in you I see my God whom I love more than my life itself, I give up my comforts that you may be comforted. Love without sacrifice is not true love. Sacrifices without love are not true sacrifices.

All the pleasures and comforts this world gives is legitimate and worth enjoying if God is the center of those pleasures.

God—the Center of my possessions:

Material blessings, riches and possessions may become a hindrance in my way of discipleship if I consider them above my faith, morality and Christian commitment. I might lose sight of my true calling to be a child of God if I do not make God the center of all my possessions. When God is the center of my riches and blessings, I become a liberated person, with an attitude of gratitude and love.

The story of Onesimus which we heard in the second reading gives us a fitting example of Christian attitude towards possessions. Onesimus was a slave, a property of Philemon, a Christian convert. Onesimus ran away from Philemon and came to St Paul who baptized him. Paul was now put under house arrest in Rome, and Onesimus offered to serve him. But Paul decided to send him back to Philemon with an appeal that Onesimus, by virtue of his baptism has become the spiritual son of Paul. He sends Onesimus with great feeling of love. He is no more a slave now. Accept him as a brother. For everyone who believes in Christ is His family and we are brothers to each other. Do not treat him as a slave any more. Onesimus, who was the property of Philemon is now shown to be a means of grace for his once master. By giving up the right of ownership Philemon is not losing the service of Onesimus, but he serves him all the more, with love, and Philemon, is called upon to serve him in return, in love. This change of attitude has come about because of Christ, and our call to be disciples of Christ.

Let us ask the Lord Jesus to set us free, make us whole and fill us with contentment, satisfaction and joy in our relationships, comforts and possessions. Let us also promise to the Lord, as we lay the cross of our life in this Eucharistic offering, that we will make Him the center of our relationships, comforts and possessions.

A JESUS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND

September 1, 2010
Wednesday of Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 4:38-44


This Jesus is difficult to understand. His ways are not our ways. His attitude is not our attitude.

Jesus was rejected in Nazareth. He did not reject them in return but quietly went away from them. He was welcomed in Capernaum. He made His home there, yet He did not keep Himself grounded over there. He refused to work miracles in Nazareth, yet His frist day in Capernaum was full of miraculous deeds—driving out demons and healing the sick. As He raised up the ailing mother-in law of Peter, He became the darling of his househod. He became the darling of the town mates as He laid His hands on all the sick and afflicted people, and cured them all who were brought to Him. He became the darling of the Apostles as He rose in popularity and became an instant “hit” in the town. Yet, Jesus withdrew from the crowd and even from the Apostles and went into a deserted place to spend His time in silent prayer.

The disciples were woken up by the people who came looking for Jesus. They realized that “Jesus is found missing!” They look for Him intently, and found Him in solitude and prayer. They could not understand this Jesus, who in the height of His popularity and fame, would run away from His fans and seclude Himself in silence. They could not understand this Jesus, who worked throughout the day and late in the evening, would discard His rest only to spent His time in silence and prayer. They could certainly not understand this Jesus, when He was in high demand, and everybody is happy with Him and look for Him, would abandon the place and leave the people in pursuit of other places for his mission!

Yes, His mission! That was the focus of His life. This was a mission given to Him by His Father. Therefore, He constantly consulted with His Father and sought after His Divine will for Him. His mission did not rest on popularity or mass-drive, acceptance or rejection, success or failure. His mission is not confined to some areas of life or some aspects of human situation. It is integral. In this sense, Jesus is the most perfect person—integral and balanced. His integrity flows from the integral life He chose to live. It was a life of deep compassion for others, yet a life of liberation, not grounded or tied down to any. It was a life of selfless service, rooted in prayer, meditation and deep intimacy with the Father. He immersed Himself with the people and their needs, even as He secluded Himself from the distractions of the crowd, and withdrew into the chamber of solitude. He effected healings and drove out demons even as inhibited from the clamor of performing miracles and working out signs and wonders. He preached a Gospel of love, peace and fullness of life, even as He invited us to take up our cross and follow Him and reminded us to give up and let go of everything for His Kingdom.

Nothing can stop Him: neither rejection nor acceptance, neither hostility nor hospitality, neither friends nor foes, neither popularity nor mass-hate… He leaves behind pain and joy, and He moves forward.

How do I follow this Jesus who is full of surprises and difficult to understand? How do I approach success and failures? How liberated a person am I? How easy is for me to leave behind the applause and popularity and move on to the unpopular? Do I feel being tied down to people, place, situations, projects and ideologies? How balanced a person am I in my service and contemplation? Am I comfortable with silence, solitude and contemplation as also with the company of people, noise and active service?