Divided we stand!

Unity is a word used commonly and strongly. Unity of generations, family, community, society and churches. But unity is easier said than done. Diversity is God given and being different is not a sin. Which is why, forced unity can never work and should never be tried.

There are two things which quickly come to my mind. Unity between churches and groups and unity between various generations. There are several churches in India who are at loggerheads with each other and my church is also no stranger to this. Efforts for unity are always welcome and should also be explored whenever possible. But this cannot be forced.

Similarly, many youngsters are migrating from Kerala and India for better opportunities, jobs, life and security. We can force them to stay, but they will never be happy. One cannot always limit someone’s horizon and sacrifices also have their limits.

In both the above mentioned cases, unity is being forced. Might, power, money, emotional blackmail, are all used to force a forging and coming together. St. Mark 2: 21 says, “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.” Putting something together can work for a bit, till it is ruined even more than before.

Even though unity is a natural thing which is to be tried, sides different from one another cannot be sewed together. Churches who have grown apart and become different, cannot come together one fine day. Youngsters and elders who have different philosophies, view points and ways of life cannot come together for the sake of family, tradition and blood. Does this mean that this lenten season should be one of breaking than making? Yes and no.

Yes, that we should go our ways and live our life even as we witness to Christ. No, in the sense that this breaking away is not to disrespect the other person or side but to understand that everyone is different and yet can witness to the same Christ. May this lent make us realise that in diversity lies our unity. Respecting and loving one another is more important than unity. Love cannot be forced on anyone. It has to be felt and it has to be natural. Amen.

My friend's healing is my responsibility

The story of the paralytic is common. We usually think of the paralytic and the bed. The roof and the four friends come in later. So much that we usually design sermons around the “your sins are forgiven” and “rise, pick up your bed and go home.” Yet, St. Mark 2:1-12 contains a very important Christian value called friendship.

The four friends in St. Mark 2:3-4 who carry the bed of their friend and who, when they realise the crowd is too much to enter via the door of the house, lower the bed through the roof and they are a prime example of Christian friendship. The friends expressed their deep friendship in being creative, ingenious, sincere and risk taking. They are not concerned about themselves but about the welfare of their friend.

How many times have we prevented ourselves from going to a hospital or visiting a doctor? The reasons may be many but reality is that we will postpone it as much as possible and even delay it till it is so serious. But when it comes to our family and friends, we become very interested in taking them to the hospital. Even though personal interest in our health would be desirable, we end up showing more interest in another person we value.

This is what happens in the miracle story. Even though the paralytic needed a cure and healing, that doesn’t mean that the four men were healthy beyond any need for cure. But they keep aside their needs and take a risk for a friend. This lent, we should think whether we can be one of those friends? Whether we can carry one of the legs of the bed? We should also think whether we have a friend who will take us to a hospital whenever the need arises. Friendship as a Christian value is to look after another before looking looking after oneself. May our lent offer us the opportunity to be a friend and to have friends. Amen.

Are you a Christian?

Have we ever wondered how people look at us? It is not that we should always be concerned about this, but rather, it is important and beneficial to know it. How do others see us and how do they see us as a Christian? Do they think that we are truthful, sincere, morally upright and good? Or are we perceived to be the opposite of all this?

It is one thing to have our own church members asking us to pray for them and another to have people from other religions, denominations and churches asking for our prayer. What is the feeling when a total stranger asks for a healing touch and and a comforting prayer? What on the other hand do we feel when people totally disrespect and show disinterest in us and our prayers and rituals?

There was a time when a cassock or priests attire would get respect from others. Now it depends on whether people know you and on how they perceive you. Wearing a religious attire, a cross, holding a bible, all bring with it a great responsibility. So much that our behaviour not only leads to people disrespecting us but disrespecting these symbols which mean something.

In St. Mark 1:27, the crowd is surprised after Jesus rebukes and casts out an unclean spirit. Verse 27 says, “They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even unclean spirits, and they obey him.” People were in awe of Jesus. They respected him and through him, the one who sent him.

All of us have a responsibility of witnessing to Christ. Even though we are in the habit of seeking things for ourselves and praying for our own needs, there will come times when others ask us for prayers. Priests and lay people will be asked for help and comfort. We can give someone a cross, another a bible, a few a prayer and others our presence and touch.

This lent, may people be amazed about us, for the right reasons. May our symbols, dresses and rituals offer happiness to others. And may we become a reminder of Christ Jesus himself. Amen.

A lent to be persecuted

Christians in the early church were persecuted and instead of escaping it, they embraced it. Christians now for hundreds of years look for the opportunity to compromise and escape persecution. Adapting to a particular situation or culture and witnessing to Christ is one thing and wilting under the pressure of a particular culture or situation and compromising on witnessing to Christ is a totally different thing. This lent we need to think about how we have compromised instead of adapting.

In St. Matthew 16:21 Jesus revealed to his disciples that he would undergo great suffering, be killed and would rise on the third day. In verse 22 Peter tells Jesus that this must never happen. Jesus was in the prime of his ministry and his disciples were also confident on doing things alone. Yet Jesus is ready for persecution while Peter has not given it any thought. His “This must never happen to you” suggests that at any cost this must be prevented. Christ Jesus is ready for persecution but his disciple is ready for a compromise if it will save Jesus!

We do the same. Everything is a compromise and compromise is glorified. Women and girls are asked to compromise, children are told to compromise, the poor are reminded that compromising will benefit them. Compromise has become a trump card of the church and whenever any news of persecution is heard, the Christian community will huddle together and see how they can compromise with the powers that be and wriggle out of the threat of persecution. Very similar to what Peter and what any disciple of Jesus at the time would do.

Lent calls us to see this differently. Compromise is not a virtue but a sin when it asks us to compromise on witnessing to Christ and undergoing persecution. Compromise is not going to get the Christian community and us as Christian individuals anywhere. We can adapt to the needs of the congregation, of people and of a culture but it is not by compromising and escaping persecution. Amen.

Two’s company, three’s a crowd

We are obsessed with crowds. So much that we would do anything to bring in the crowds. Shops are inaugurated by celebrities to make people come, churches offer food and snacks to members who attend services, educational institutions offer fee discounts and perks to get more students and offers and discounts rule the day. All for the crowds to come.

A priest is measured in terms of the crowd he can get to church, teachers in government schools end up going to houses to canvas for children for their classes to maintain the minimum number nee
ded to keep the school afloat, and complimentary passes are given for programmes to ensure that a minimum number of people attend. Political parties also get people to attend their election rallies by offering food and a daily allowance. The crowd determines the success of a programme.

Are crowds so important? Is quantity more important than quality? Do thousands of Facebook friends translate to that many people responding if we have a crisis? For those who know, quality is better than quantity. St. Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” The idiom “Two’s company, three’s a crowd” refers to the fact that two people enjoy each other’s company and a third will ruin it. But in the context of Jesus’ words, we can interpret it as three itself being a crowd. A crowd of quality instead of quantity.

During covid, churches conducted services with no people inside the church. With just two or three, there was breaking of bread and transformation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. There was a redefining of the word crowd. And there was assurance from the words of Jesus that he would be there whenever two or three gathered in his name. There is a call for two or three, a church of quality rather than a church of quantity.

Lent is a time to re look the word crowd. We usually feel assured with a crowd to the extend that we will even feel emboldened to do whatever. But we need to question ourselves whether the crowd emboldens us instead of Christ Jesus himself. The crowd consists of people like us. We need not under estimate them. But we needn’t over estimate them as well. Christ is in the midst of the few and not necessarily the many. Let us try to be one of the two or three, looking to be transformed while representing the crowd of believers. Amen.

Yes, my child

“Stop acting like a child”, “he is very childish”, “when are you going to grow up?”, are things one hears when one acts immature. The struggle to grow up, to act big, to take on responsibility, are things we strive for from a young age. So much that many grow up too soon.

But Jesus differs in St. Matthew 18:3 when he says, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Children have many qualities which they lose upon becoming adults. Children are loving, sincere, trusting, risk taking and accepting. Adults who lose these qualities regain some of them on turning old.

Is Jesus taunting his disciples because they wanted to know who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Was he questioning their so called experience, calling and seniority? Or was he being blunt in saying that all of us and not just the disciples must become like children if we harbour any hopes of entering the kingdom of heaven?

This follows Jesus’ pattern of questioning the usual and questioning the pattern of conforming to certain societal norms. There is no seniority, experience and accomplishment in all of this world which can take us to heaven. Rather it is to keep away all that we have and hope that we gain entry. There is a shift from common sense to nonsense. Children don’t have a pattern in hugging each other, playing with each other and just being themselves unless they are trained in a certain way by adults.

Lent is difficult because it asks us to keep away all that we have accomplished and start from scratch. Children rely on someone for their daily needs, their purchases and food. But they trust their parents or family to provide. We are also asked to do the same. Trust that God will provide. Amen.