Lent Day 19: Lent as a time of multiplying

What would we like to be in life? Would we want to be a source of healing through our prayers and compassion? Or would we want to be a poison, which spoils everything? Everything is looked upon negatively and those who think in terms of poison would want to poison even the minds of people by sowing seeds of doubt and anger in young and old minds. Poison has its effectiveness. The only problem is that it negates and devalues human life.

Leaven is not like that. It transforms the rest of the flour, almost miraculously. Being leaven in society means that we would sacrifice for the good of society. We would want to provide, add, multiply and value human life. The leavened bread used for communion is a sign of the positive element of community and human life. Communion should lead to life and life in abundance. The very reason for Holy Communion in society should be to be a source of life, miracles, healing, love and compassion.

In St. Luke 13: 21, Jesus speaks of comparing the kingdom of God to something. He says, “It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” Communion is an act of healing and blessing. Lent is also an act of healing and blessing. Our fasting and lent should be a blessing to our family, community and more so to our society. There should be a multiplication of everything. A multiplication of love, a multiplication of food, a multiplication of compassion, a multiplication of giving and a multiplication of goodness.

The concept of communion and sharing is to break. During lent, we should first of all be the leaven which transforms. We should then break the bread that we are and share. Once in a house, the mother cooked two rotis each for her three children. But that day the middle child was still hungry. He could have grabbed the roti of the third child but he did not. The elder son then divides his remaining roti into two pieces and gives to his younger brother. In the house, the mother is the leaven and the son is the breaker of bread. Till the bread is broken and the food is shared, we will think of the division of the rotis as a just process. So, no one need give to the other because everyone has got two rotis. But hunger creates a problem which is then solved by the division of roti or bread by the elder child.

This lent, let us be the leaven and the breaker of bread. Everyone can take up one role and be a blessing in society. Lent is indeed a time to be broken and to break. May the breaking of bread in our houses and families provide for those who are hungry. Amen.

Lent Day 18: Being Christ ready

One can never be fully ready. Whenever we plan a trip or a vacation, something or the other will always come in between. But if we go without much planning and thought, we will usually be able to pull it off. Making time for friends and family is also better done when unplanned. We are all so busy that plans are difficult to make. Unplanned meetings, travel and conversations are also exciting and make us very happy. We can also try to link the words ‘unplanned’ and ‘ready’.

St. Luke 12: 37 says, “Blessed are the servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them.” Jesus asks us to be ready at all times. If we plan it, we can obviously be well prepared. We will be at our best behaviour and will even put on an act. So, the real us will only be visible when the master comes unprepared.

It is like having guests at home. When we know someone is coming, we will have everything ready. But when guests come unaware, we will be in complete disarray. This can be handled in two ways. One, when we know and are prepared, the visit will be okay for us. But what if we do not know? Can we think of another level of preparation and readiness? That is the one mentioned at the beginning. When we are prepared to do things at short notice with people we love and respect.

This lent can be one such journey. It should not matter to us, when our Lord will come, because we are prepared every minute to receive him. It is not the condition and neatness of our house but the condition of our life, heart and soul which should matter. Everything and anything we do should be something we can also do in the presence of the Lord. That way we have nothing to hide and nothing to be scared of.

People have become so busy that they don’t get time to visit each other anymore. We also don’t feel the need of hosting anyone. The feeling of community and the culture of welcoming has been lost upon us. There are times when we get into the hospitality mood but that is only when we are forced to host someone.

A life in Christ should make us ready for anything at any time. Ready to travel, ready to host, ready to laugh, ready to cry, ready to give, ready to receive, ready to leave and ready to take. Lent should make us that much more ready. Our master will come soon. Let us be Christ ready. Amen.

 

Lent Day 17: Lent as a time to recognise and congratulate

I have heard many people either refer to themselves as self-made or say that someone else is self-made. I do understand the emotion behind this and the fact that some people have worked very hard to come up in life. They haven’t had God fathers’ or sponsors making sure that they would have an easy ride. Such people have also sacrificed a lot of things to reach where they are and their life is a true inspiration for many.

But on the other hand, even though hard work matters, there are several other factors which lead to success. In St. Mark 4: 3-8, Jesus narrates the parable of the sower. He says, “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

The parable is explained by Jesus as how different people respond to the word of God. The successful ones are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit. But I would like to look at this passage as how a community plays an important role in the moulding of an individual. Even though the hard work and consistency of an individual are important, the role played by the community, by a certain environment and people are equally important. When the own family of a person does not help, other friends or total strangers become family. When a community does not encourage one of their own, other people group together to become a positive community. And when all factors turn negative, God by God’s self will provide in miraculous ways.

Sometimes our society becomes too individualistic both ways. Those who are ambitious in a nice way feel it is better to be on their own, albeit with support they would like to or not like to acknowledge. On the other hand, the community isolates someone who is successful but not adhering to the so-called values of a community. This then leads to the creation of the self-made man or woman.

As Christians observing lent, we should understand the value and importance of community. Community should not be to claim superiority but to help each other in times of need and be happy for the success accomplished or efforts taken. A community should also own each other and be happy for the success of the other. There are so many among us who are successful business people, scientists, researchers, teachers, doctors, nurses, pilots, cabin crew, staff in various government institutions and private companies, small and big merchants, entrepreneurs, actors, singers, dancers, cinema makers, producers, owners of manufacturing sector companies, medical companies and hospitals, guides, environmentalists, counsellors, priests, adventurers, bloggers and vloggers, writers, speakers, defence related staff, soldiers, leaders, politicians, bureaucrats, promoters of schools and colleges, wild life enthusiasts, innovators, builders of various kinds, women taking care of houses, students, protestors, drivers, union leaders, farmers, architects and engineers, managers, hoteliers, cooks, accountants, chartered accountants, bankers, church and religious leaders, and government servants who are successful and even the best in their field. As a community we should recognise them because their success is our joy and we may have done something, however small for them, and in return their growth is a matter of joy for us. We should be transformed into the good soil that Jesus talks about which then ensures good crop. Amen.

Lent Day 16: A shameless lent

Shame is something that Christians have to deal with and overcome to grow spiritually. It is something which prevents us from being good human beings and from exploring our abilities. Shame can be felt by ourselves and we can be ashamed of someone else. Children are taught about shame from a young age when they are asked to cover up by telling them, “Shame, shame, puppy shame”, and “Shame, shame, puppy shame, all the monkeys know your name.” Children are asked to dress properly by indirectly shaming them.

From the perspective of those who are shamed, coming back to the view of the public becomes extremely difficult, because they think of what others will say. This leads to the creation of  panic, creation of introverts and even people with psychological issues which become difficult to resolve. From the perspective of those who gain happiness from shaming others, shaming is used as a weapon against those they don’t like or want sidelined. Shame is also what some people feel when we do something they don’t like. For them we have humiliated the family, spoiled the name of the community and things like that. St. Mark 2: 16, talks of one such feeling of shame. Verse 16 has the scribes of the Pharisees saying, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?

The Pharisees among others tried for a while to appropriate Jesus or have Jesus as someone who said what they wanted to hear and say. Perhaps they would have also accepted him as their Messiah if that was the case. But to their shock, he kept surprising them and doing things they did not like. They are upset that Jesus is eating with the tax collectors and sinners. John the Baptist in their observation did not do anything like this but Jesus crossed all limits.

The church and Christian community finds it difficult to question the stand of the Pharisees. So much that the youngsters are even advised by not just the family but also the priest that they should not bring shame to the family and community. I wonder why priests don’t read this passage of the gospel and why even now youngsters are looked upon with suspicion in the community and church. What is wrong if someone follows their heart, decides to go for a work they like or loves someone from a different community or caste? What shame will that bring to the community and what shame do we have which even our Lord Jesus did not have.

Those who bring shame to the community and family are also not welcomed back home and are seen as the prodigal son and daughter. Even though the bible story has the father welcoming back the son, despite the reservations of the elder son, this does not happen often in Christian families. Many people who make a decision at some point of time in their life, may want to reconsider later. But their family refuses to accept them and this leads to them remaining outside the fold.

Even the Indian parliament has this habit of saying “Shame, shame”, when one political party or the other does something which is not acceptable to the other. Such immature reactions are unfortunately still followed. When the entire society does such things, the Christian community should differ during lent and question the entire concept of shame. As Jesus dined with the tax collectors and sinners, our youngsters and others have the freedom to do what they want. They should witness to Christ and not to our family, community and tradition. Amen.

Lent Day 15: Making room for compassion and love

Crowds are so difficult to handle. There are crowds because of lack of space and crowds which are created because of lack of patience. The crowds which were near Jesus were not impatient crowds or created crowds but huge realistic crowds. It is surprising that Jesus and his disciples were not crushed by these crowds.

Jesus saw people at grounds, at the shore and sometimes he was on a boat and the crowd was on land. The few times he was in a house, the people thronged to see him. So much that there came a point when one could declare that there was no space anymore. St. Mark 2: 1-12 talks of such a scenario. Verse 2 says, “And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door…”

In South Asian countries and among the poor, lower middle class and even middle class in India, houses are filled with people. The family members and then other family, cousins and even friends who come to cities and towns for education and jobs. Even when the house is already full, the family opens its door and makes space for the person who seeks refuge. There is nothing practical about this and no clear space which is available and thought about. Space is created out of thin air.

Many Indians and Keralites who work abroad in the Middle East, also stay in bachelor rooms, where there are bunker beds and no privacy. The camps are even worse. Lots of hardships are undergone to make money for the family back home. In Kerala, migrant workers stay in small rooms, with little facilities and adjust so that they can save money to send to their homes in several parts of North India. Small rooms, spaces and facilities are created to accommodate people.

More people are cramped into a room which is already full. The sad reality of misuse of space is seen during illegal migration, when children and whole families are smuggled in trucks, boats and ships to Europe and America with promises of a bright future. Spaces, mostly illegal, are created and people are accommodated. Many don’t make it, while others squeeze through.

This is a sweaty, full and packed space into which the paralytic is brought by four men. The lack of space means that he is brought in through the roof. Creating space is a skill that the poor have. They have the gift of adapting to the situation and to the needs. This is seen in the case of the paralytic. There is always space for compassion, love and healing. The people there accept that and Jesus puts his seal on this with the healing.

Coming to think of it, the poor never say no, never say close and never say enough. The church should also follow this mentality and should embrace people instead of limiting crowds and making spaces exclusive. The high-rise buildings are possible because of workers living in cramped spaces, branded clothes and even toys are available at competitive prices because of sweatshops or spaces with poor working conditions. Jesus accepts the paralytic instead of asking his friends to take him out. He himself ministers to people in difficult scenarios and conditions. Amen.

Lent Day 14: Discerning Jesus of Nazareth

The church starts and ends prayers in the name of the Holy Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The collegiality of the three persons, the love of the three persons and the unity of the three persons with mutuality and respect is also a reason for praying in the name of the Holy Trinity. But for people who have simple faith, invoking the name of the Jesus is a normal way of calling upon God. People from other religions also find it easy to understand about and to invoke the name of Jesus. But for all who invoke and call and believe, do we understand who and what Jesus is?

All four gospels in the bible tried to put across the nature of the person of Christ. That he was son of God, that he was the Messiah and that he was Jesus of Nazareth. Many of the stories and narratives are modelled around this. What his disciples saw in him, what the people saw in him. St. Peter identifies him as the Messiah and this is recognised by Jesus. Whenever people are in trouble, when they get up, sit, wake up, eat and sleep, their devotion to God is expressed in a single word as Jesus.

But the gospels bring out another essence of this. Jesus’ enemies and the evil spirits, recognise and acknowledge him as Jesus of Nazareth and the Messiah. Even when the Pharisees and the Sadducees question him, his roots, his beginnings, his teachings and his words, the evil spirits clearly recognise, respect, fear and speak about him. Jesus is well respected even among his enemies and among his biggest enemies. Even when those who are supposed to recognise him and acknowledge him refuse to do so, the people filled by evil spirits call out his name in awe.

St. Mark 1: 24 says, “and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” According to the gospel, this is said by a man with an unclean spirit. There is fear among and respect even among those who didn’t have to mind who Jesus was. But that is not there among his own people and among those who claimed to be religious.

This I fear is the same thing happening now. Jesus is respected more among non-Christians and is seen as a nice person even among those with no faith. But what about Christians themselves? Our acts, our practices and our behaviour suggest that we do not recognise Jesus at all. We do not fear his power, do not accept his name and significance and do not worship him as the son of God. There is no Jesus in our life as a matter of faith. We may use his name for our own benefit but are not willing to listen to him, give him credit for the good things that happen and call upon him with faith and sincerity.

This lent, we can make use of the Jesus prayer which was very common in the early church. People repeated many times, “Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” Lent should be a time when we recognise God and God’s son Jesus. It is also a recognition of his life, passion, death and resurrection. This entire lent is actually about that. A lent without Jesus is no lent at all. As we observe lent, may we undergo a Jesus experience, a Jesus sensibility and a Jesus wisdom. Otherwise even the walls and the spirits will confess and say that Jesus Christ is Lord. Amen.   

Lent Day 13: Jesus’ cheeky gospel

Today’s thought continues with the other teachings of Jesus to stay away from power, money and authority. In St. Matthew 5: 38-39 he goes a step further by saying, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Could it be true that Jesus tries to steer clear from the Old Testament teaching that one has to hit back, an eye for an eye!? Or is he trying to be funny, sarcastic or subtly question the hopeless system which can never offer justice to anyone?

Even though it is so difficult to comprehend, Jesus means exactly what he says. Perhaps it is even more difficult to listen to this than the other teachings. How on earth can we forgive our enemy and allow them to hurt us repeatedly, with no reaction from our side? Jesus is trying something intense here and challenging us to observe a lent, which is much beyond diet restrictions. We can restrict and even go without food but forgetting the hurt and abuse of an enemy is next to impossible. And yet we are called to do just that.

We are asked to not react. There are times when we also realise that a problem can be solved if we don’t react, if we take a walk, if we remain silent and if we choose to become strong by appearing weak. Showing our other cheek also allows us to think, to analyse, to weigh the situation and to decide whether a reaction is worth it. There is a call to give. But give not to our family, church or community but to someone who is our enemy and works against us.

This is another characteristic of a Christian which unfortunately does not exist much anymore. Was Jesus just trying to be different, unique and shocking or did he have a method behind this madness. A ritualistic way of giving hands and seeking reconciliation would be for one person to say, “Forgive me a sinner” and for the other to reply, “God forgives and so do I.” The people then switch sides and say the opposite as well. When someone seeks forgiveness, it is for some wrong that they have already committed. Our response would be “God forgives and so do I.” We would ideally not hit the person and then say, “I forgive you.”

During lent, our effort for reconciliation can only have the reply which God suggests. It is to show our other cheek. Showing our other cheek does not only suggest to be hit on that too, but to have a cheek to cheek show of reconciliation and love. Jesus is suggesting a natural Christ like or Christian response to hatred and conflict. Our response should always be towards reconciliation and not revenge. It does not matter what another person does. Our only response is forgiveness and reconciliation.

This lent, let us challenge ourselves to say “I forgive you and I love you” to someone who has hurt us. This is exactly what Jesus does when we hurt him. He shows his other cheek, to love, to accept and to care. The crowds flocked to see Jesus exactly because of this. May we also get this craziness and cheekiness to confuse and distract people so much that they respond positively to our overtures of friendship and love. Amen.

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Lent Day 12: Making money spiritual

One of the most difficult things in Christian faith is with regard to money, making of money and spending money. Jesus didn’t show any inclination towards money and towards making of money. His teachings were more in the direction of equality and justice and business was not a concern for him at all. Perhaps we can interpret some of his teachings to bring out some management principles, but not with regard to income generation. The early church was also least concerned with money and instead preached and practiced community living and sharing of resources. But things have changed now. We are all in need of money for practical reasons. So, it is imperative for us to understand what the bible says about money and the creation of wealth.

St. Luke 16:13 says, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” The teaching is quite clear and yet needs some exploration. Mammon can be seen in different ways. Some church fathers saw it as evil and therefore something to keep a distance from. Others interpreted it as money or wealth and therefore said that we cannot serve God and money at the same time.

So, is it bad to do business and to work? We can’t say that at this point because it will lead to the collapse of the markets and economy. It will also lead to the compromising of jobs which in turn will put a burden on several families. So, working and doing business is fine as people will have the satisfaction for working for their bread/food. But it becomes problematic when people use their money to sway the decision making or the policies of the church, when money is used for purchasing seats, power and authority.

Everyone is equal in the church. Whether one is a business person, working professional, executive, doctor, lawyer, medical worker, small scale trader or daily wage worker, everyone is the same. Everyone is the same before the Lord’s table because the Holy body and Holy blood of our Lord cannot be purchased and bought. Repentance and humility are the only ways of approaching the table and approaching our Lord. But unfortunately, this is not the case in several churches and Christian communities. Money speaks, money matters and money sways.

Lent should be a time to correct this. Money should become spiritual, prayerful and helpful. Money gets value only when used to help the poor and needy and feed the hungry. Till then it is only paper. Many people ask for prayers before starting a shop, starting a business or project and starting a job. But that should also extend to the money and income already at hand. We should pray for the thinking, responsibility and social concern to make best use of the money we have.

I am not just talking about tithes and help for the church but how we can be of help to each other. It can also go on to having a fund for medical emergencies to which everyone contributes according to their ability and from which those having medical emergencies can take from. It is not to say that those who are rich should not have luxuries and buy what they want. But to say that money can only be related to God if it helps God’s people. Without this it is only mammon. And mammon could mean money or even evil.

Money can lead us in two directions. It can make us evil by making us think that money is the ultimate and only thing in life. Or, it can make us good by thinking that money is only a piece of paper which we need but which does not control our life. This lent, shall we pray over our businesses, jobs, shops, work and savings, income, investments, profits and salaries so that we put it to good use and make it spiritual, instead of evil and individualistic. Amen.

 

Lent Day 11: There is a child in all of us

We are in a hurry to grow up and our family, community, society and even church would like it if we grew up faster. Lot of encouragement is given to those who according to society, mature earlier or grow up fast or faster. Those who remain like a child are scolded and compared to those who have seemingly grown up. The pressure this puts on a child is unfair. There are also houses where one parent is missing or has some addiction and so a child or children are forced to take up the responsibility of the household at a young age. We also see around us children from deprived backgrounds who don’t have a proper childhood and don’t even get the opportunity for a decent education. 

Safe spaces for children are also limited and society is not too concerned about that. It is not only that children can’t just be children but there are so called adults who are looking for chances to misuse and abuse children, again leading to children being restricted and limited in their everyday life. On the other hand, children are also treated in a way that they know nothing and so always need the help, support and guidance of adults. Churches do not take children into consideration while devising their programmes and services. The language and style of a service usually does not suit children and yet no one is bothered about it and wants to do anything about it.

This is where we have to read St. Matthew 18: 3, which says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” It appears that Jesus is inviting our attention to the importance of children, who a child is and why we should be like children to enter the kingdom of heaven. We are asked to have a child like innocence, a child like attitude, a child like framework and a child like view to life. This is directly opposite to what happens in church now. We are guilty of trying to manner and force our children into our framework and our needs.

There are two things to look at and understand here. One, children in the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church are baptised while they are a baby. It is not just that they are given child baptism, but unlike other churches, they receive the Holy body and Holy blood of Jesus Christ right after baptism. There is no confirmation at a later stage and children can receive Holy Communion right from the beginning. Two, children in the church stand right at the front of the church for service. After the priest and altar assistants who are in the altar, the children occupy the premium position in the church. Both of these things suggest the importance of children in the church. They are perceived to know the nuances of Christian faith and the importance of Holy Communion right from childhood. They also stand in the front, suggesting that they are prime witnesses to our Lord Jesus. Knowingly or unknowingly the church already gives importance to children. The problem is that it is ignored at the time of implementation of the policies of the church.

I am also guilty as a priest of sometimes feeling irritated when children make noise and speak to each other during the Sunday service. But I realise during this time of lent that I need to change my attitude towards children during the service. We also need to spend more time with children to learn about the child like qualities that impressed Jesus. Along with this, churches and homes have to be child friendly, child oriented and child centred, which will make children more comfortable and happier. Let us become a child like church this lent. Amen.

 

 

Lent Day 10: Remembering the sacrifices of our forefathers and foremothers and the working class of the church

The Christian community should be seen as a giving community. It is not just the money or donation one gives but the effort one puts in to make the community one which forgives, understands, helps and loves. If it is true to say that time is money, someone who gives their time for the church is of immense value to the church. When we love and give, there will be a limit up to which others can take it. After that it will have to come back. It is not just to say that we have to do good if good has to come back to us but to say, if we water our plants they will grow and bloom but we don’t have to water them too much.

The church and Christian community is now plagued with the problem of having people who will always make others think that they will give. The rich are cleverer in this than others. The leadership will be behind the rich with great expectations but the middle class and ordinary people will be the ones who actually help the community. While one group does things or promises to do things with the expectation of gaining positions, power and authority, the other group does things and helps out because it is the right thing to do. They are usually not found hobnobbing with the leadership and do not have dreams of being in power.

There are other ordinary people who help with their time and labour. People who help in cooking food, doing arrangements in church, helping to serve food, cleaning up after everything and not minding to get their clothes dirty in church. They try to work hard and give their time for the benefit and welfare of the community. There are also people who help with paper work, accounts, coordination and meetings. Others who pick and drop children to Sunday school and youth programmes and offer their vehicles, services and time for the church. They may not always be visible inside the church but will make sure that church programmes are successful.

St. Luke 6: 38 says, “give, and it will be given to you; in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” Jesus here is very clear about the reward that is awaiting people who give their best for the benefit of the community. And yet good is not just done expecting good in return, but that is a natural consequence of good actions.

The problem today in all churches is that the ordinary people are ignored and posts and chairs are given to the rich and powerful. The poor man’s (sic) church has now become the rich man’s church. It is natural that the younger generations of several families have undergone an upward social mobility by way of better education and business acumen. But that does not mean that the nature of the church has to change to an exclusive club of people who want the ordinary people only to fill the church but not for decision making and any kind of recognition.

The churches have to take care of the proletariat, the working class, the one’s who work very hard to help their church and community. Without them the numbers of the church will come down drastically and will affect the very nature and survival of the church. In Kerala there is the interpretation of two political dispensations. One is a cadre party where workers do the work and the other is the party where everyone is a leader and there is no one to do the work finally. This lent, may we recognise the hard work of our forefathers and foremothers, who kept away rice, vegetables and fruits for the church and brought it so that it would be auctioned or exchanged to take care of the needs of the church. Shall we also remember the people who walked to church, built the church by offering their labour because they did not have the money to give. May we also remember the women and men who set aside coins like the poor widow and gave it to the church so that the church as we see it today would go on uninterrupted. Amen.

Lent Day 9: Our churches should not be profitable institutions

Many churches these days are trying to be professional in their approach and running. Some even appoint professionals to run churches. Many are even asked to advise priests on what to say and do. It is like the professional election strategists who advise political parties on how to run their campaign, how to select candidates for the elections and what manifestos to concentrate upon. Even though knowing the pulse of people and realising their needs is important, running a church like a business is fraught with danger.

Many churches do not like giving refreshments to their own people, don’t help the poor and don’t believe in giving but only in receiving. They would also like to have a profit at the end of the year. But are churches supposed to be like this or do they exist solely for the purpose of helping the poor and needy and taking care of the spiritual needs of their community? The business model is then also extended to church institutions like schools and hospitals. I will concentrate on churches for now.

St. Luke 6: 33-34 says, “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.” The essence of these verses is a reminder from Jesus that we have to be good and do good to others, irrespective of the response and without expecting anything in return. How many churches are following this advice and model?

Churches these days are looking into the feasibility of prayers, worships and perhaps even miracles. What will we get seems to be the query before we offer a service. What will we get if we give food, what will we get if the church is open for service, what will we get if the church offers spiritual services? So much that the offertory has become a part of every service. Whether we offer anything or not, we would like to get money from people.

This lent, we should rethink what we are doing. Can we offer something without expecting anything in return? Can we stop discussing profits and huge bank balances? Can we end questions of feasibility before giving food to the poor? There are many orphanages and old age homes which do not know where the money will come from for the next meal! And yet, it comes, because of God’s grace and because God makes people act. Christian faith has always run with hope and not with financial planning, feasibility studies and reports.

If we continue with this trend, we will not be far from the day when we will be advised to close our churches and institutions because they are not economically viable. We cannot do sensible charity and community formation. Because there is nothing sensible about our faith. We have a Lord who told us to show our other cheek when someone slaps us on one, to forgive when someone has to pay us and to not ask someone who has taken money from us. There is nothing sensible about this. A negation of this will lead to a negation of the very words of Jesus. May our lent offer us insights to fight the greed of churches, priests and lay leaders to make the church a profitable enterprise rather than a compassionate space which reflects God’s love. Amen.

Lent Day 8: Clean and pure as the antithesis of Lent

St. Luke 5: 12-13 showcases a man full of leprosy who asks Jesus to make him clean. Jesus responds positively and touches him and says “be clean.” I wonder how a man full of leprosy manages to get near to Jesus and the crowd he is addressing. It either happened by mistake, or the person managed to sneak in, or Jesus went to the place he stayed. Because people with leprosy were asked to stay away from others and were also asked not to touch anyone. There is a stigma of presence, touch and disease. However, the person gets close to Jesus.

Jesus’ miracle is special because he doesn’t just say “be clean” but he stretches out his hand, touches him and says, be clean. The element of acceptance, overcoming of the stigma of disease and the diseased and the move to break the rule of not touching by doing that itself comes out clearly in this passage. While we concentrate on the miracle and the curing of the person, there is much more in this passage than meets the eye.

Today, leprosy is curable and leper colonies and absolute stigma is not there anymore. But disease itself still has a stigma. People are reluctant to discuss their sickness and disease and reluctant to ask for prayers because they are judged. Others weave theories of why someone fell sick and the theories themselves are judgmental. Instead of holding people close and telling them that God loves them, we push them away and hope we never get the sickness. Skin diseases and diseases whereby the face is affected, hair loss happens, people lose weight and look different are still handled with discomfort.

Jesus only repeats what the person asks for. The person affected by leprosy asks to be made clean and Jesus answers in the affirmative. But the person does not ask Jesus to touch him. He is repeating what society would have told him. “You are not clean. So, stay away.” He then requests Jesus to make him clean. Jesus does not disappoint him but then adds the main thing, which is touch. The people did not want to touch the person and Jesus touches him. This is the essence of the miracle. It is not that Jesus made him clean but that Jesus touched him.

During lent, we are asked to purify ourselves and to make ourselves clean. These usages are dangerous and an antithesis to lent and the kingdom of God. Even today, people belonging to lower castes and women as a whole are kept away from churches and the altar. The idea behind it is purity and cleanness or shall we say, the notion of lack of purity and cleanness. Many women do not come to church or even if they come, do not come forward for communion or blessing, if they have their menstruation (menstrual cycle or period). Women are also kept away from the holy of holies due to this concept of impurity.

It is sad that the very own sons of such women argue for exclusion of their own mother because of this notion of impurity. Lent should be a time when we shed the impure and unjust thoughts in our mind and not in our body. It is a time when the church and the church community should be open and accepting to everyone. No one should be kept out on the basis of such wrong thoughts of impurity, disease and stigmas. Amen.    

(Photo credit: artofendingstigma.com)

 

Lent Day 7: ‘Go’ as a word of assurance

Covid was a hard time for all of us. The vaccine and the boosters and the booking online and then the big wait. What was first available in private hospitals were then only available in government hospitals and primary health centers. This then brought about huge queues and uncertainties. Every day became a lottery and people were on their toes. I remember going for my first booster. The first vaccine went well but the second was not so. Searching in vain online and then going to various centers from morning did not give much dividend.

One Saturday the usual search ended in a center a few kilometers from home. But on arrival I figured that there were so many people that getting a vaccine was next to impossible. That was when a friend called and informed that there were vaccines in a place nearby. But we had to rush and there was no assurance that we would get vaccinated. Nevertheless, we rushed to the place but realized that many others had also come. I didn’t want to be rude to the others and so told my wife that we would try our luck another day.

This was when a person standing there held my arm and said, “go!” I was like “that is exactly what I am doing. You don’t have to shout at me.” But I didn’t tell him that. This was when he again held my arm and pointed to a hall and said “go.” I didn’t exactly know what he meant and yet I took my wife and went to the hall he was pointing to. Upon reaching there I realized that they were giving vaccinations there but the other guy could not make a general announcement as he wanted to avoid a rush and the confusion which follows. I also realized that my friend had called him and said that I was coming. He kind of recognized me.

One moment I was thinking that the vaccination would remain a dream and not only did I lose valuable time but I also wasted the time of my wife and we also had to get food for my mother and daughter. The disappointment of having to hear ‘go’, which almost sounded like a ‘get out of here’ immediately turned into relief and joy when I understood what it really meant. In St. John 4: 46-49 we read of an official who begs Jesus to come and heal his son who was at the point of death. In verse 50, Jesus says, “Go; your son will live.” Even though it is written that the man believed Jesus and went his way, he asks his servants when the fever left his son and then he realizes that it was the same time that Jesus told him so. Then it says that he and his household believed, which means, believed in Jesus.

The “Go; your son will live”, must have sounded as a death bell for his son and yet that is not what happens. Jesus sends him on his way, knowing that the son is healed and saved. This lent, we have to first of all believe the “go your way” voice of God. And secondly, we have to offer the assuring voice of go, go in peace, go your way, and go in belief to others. This is not a sending away to nothing but a sending on to everything.  

This season of lent should give us this assurance. That God will not send us away empty handed, disappointed and without hope but that God will bless us immensely and fulfil our needs and fill us with hope. Amen. 

Lent Day 6: A reconciliatory demand towards repentance, justice and peace

Apart from lent and fasting, the most significant Christian form of proclamation of faith is the Holy Communion. The body and blood of our Lord binds us together, gives us hope and eternal life. St. Matthew 5: 23-24 says “So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” It talks about reconciliation, so much that, one has to stop what is being done and make an effort at reconciliation.

Bishop Oscar Romero and now St. Oscar Romero, was the archbishop of El Salvador, when he was shot at and killed on March 24, 1980, while standing behind the altar in church, preparing the gifts of the offertory. After becoming the archbishop, he became a vociferous opponent of the unjust regime which was repressing and killing the poor and the peasants. Any voice against the regime was silenced with brutal force.

St. Oscar Romero’s final two sermons are noteworthy. On the evening before his death, he preached reconciliation to the soldiers who were being used by the regime. But this was not a reconciliation whereby the church was folding before the powers of the day, but was the reconciliation asking the soldiers to repent and change. He said “I want to make a special appeal to soldiers, national guardsmen, and policemen; each of you is one of us. The peasants you kill are your own brothers and sisters. When you hear a man telling you to kill, remember God’s words, ‘thou shalt not kill.’ No soldier is obliged to obey a law contrary to the law of God. In the name of God, in the name of our tormented people, I beseech you, I implore you; in the name of God, I command you to stop the repression.”

On the day of his death he preached, “May this body immolated and this blood sacrificed for humans nourish us also, so that we may give our body and our blood to suffering and to pain- like Christ, not for self, but to impart notions of justice and peace to our people.” St. Oscar Romero talks of a reconciliation where he calls the soldiers and others to stop killing their brothers and sisters, their country men and women. It is a call to reconciliation by listening to God’s voice and God’s call to stop the repression against God’s people. He also makes a call to be nourished by the body and blood of Christ and to then give up our life for the justice and peace of our people.

Lent is not just a time to be quiet, meditative and obedient to the powers of the day. Lent is a time to make a call for repentance. That then leads to reconciliation. The body and blood of Christ that we partake of also gives us the strength to further and fight for this call for repentance-based reconciliation. To be shot at near the altar of the Lord was perhaps the biggest acceptance of the success of the fight that St. Oscar Romero was leading.

May lent remind us of the blood shed by martyrs like St. Oscar Romero. Let us pray that this shedding of blood changes our notion of reconciliation from one of bending before authority to asking those listening to authority to reform and change. Amen.

 

 

Lent Day 5: Finding a lent partner this lent

Repenting and changing is easier said than done. Many a time we are brought up in a way whereby we don’t know how to identify our shortcomings and problems. We also don’t have positive relationships and friends which and who can tell us how to change without hurting us. Even our partner may have limitations in this regard as lack of time and increasing work leads to very less time left for interaction, let alone to help each other out in this regard. We also need someone whom we respect, can listen to and whose judgment we will accept. This lent partner can be anyone and yet has to be someone who knows us well and is able to invest time to show us who we really are. It can be one’s husband, wife, brother, sister, friend or acquaintance.

St. Matthew 7: 4 says “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is the log in your own eye?” What this suggests is that we need help to identify our faults. But we also can’t rush to help someone identify their shortcomings unless we are given permission for that.

Having a lent partner is to get into a positive relationship of friendship whereby both people agree to help each other. One is not above the other and one is not more a sinner than the other. The relationship reflects love and compassion and is to help in every possible way. We need a mirror, a person who can see us and understand us. There are things we don’t know about us and not identifying them and working on them this lent would be a shame because our Lenten experience will be left incomplete.

A lent partner also just does not tell us about things we can change but also tells us things that are good about us. Things which we have never thought about. Small but important things of consequence and value. Something appreciative. A daily conversation in this regard prevents us from searching for the speck in someone’s eye and will help us find the log in our own eye. Such self-appraisal and understanding through someone’s eyes are what we miss during lent and what makes lent the opposite of what we intend it to be.

Having a lent partner is mutual and starts with the interest and permission of someone asking us to be their lent partner. It is not something where we ask someone or force someone to make us their lent partner. It is not one sided whereby we offer our help and do not want to be helped by the other person. The mutual trust, respect and honour are critical to such a partnership.

A lent partner is not just someone who loves us and is concerned about our welfare. Primarily both should be in love with Christ Jesus and follow the teachings of Christ. That should be the first thing in common and the first concern. St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8: 23 “As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker in your service.” It is of concern that people belonging to the same church and even priests who are colleagues find it difficult to share things with each other, because it can be used against them at a later point in their ministry. This is immensely sad and also prevents priests from getting good lent partners.

This can also be a realisation for priests to have their own partner as their lent partner or to have a lay person as their lent partner. The open mindedness to have an un ordained person as a lent partner will in itself be an acceptance of the willingness to be open for repentance and change. May God show us someone who can positively show us our shortcomings and start a conversation which will lead to repentance and change. Amen.

(Picture credit: featureshoot.com)

 

Lent Day 4: Mutual investments with God are not subject to market risks

We get to hear a lot of talk on saving money and how to save money. Our parents would have advised us in this regard at some point of time and maybe continue to do so. They do it out of concern and love and we end up joining savings schemes, insurance policies and even collect money in piggy banks, containers and books. It is the money we hope will help us tide over a difficult time, or an unexpected expense.

We are also scared whether such money will indeed be safe. Advertisements of mutual funds have a disclaimer at the end, “Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully.” What earlier was read in a rush is now read slower and clearer. It is a warning to be careful.

There have been moments in my life when I parted with such money which was specially kept for future needs. Moments when someone passed away, someone was hospitalized, someone was going to study and someone was getting married. I sometimes wonder how nice it would be if I still had that money with me. Because of the earlier parting with savings, I ended up sacrificing my needs and the needs of my family.

St. Matthew 6: 19-20 says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Jesus is asking us to invest in him and in heaven because we then don’t have to be worried about it rusting or being stolen. The way to invest our treasures in heaven is to help someone here on earth by breaking our savings. Every time we have helped someone, we have made an investment in heaven, an investment which is not subject to any risk, market or otherwise.

Lent is a time to help the poor, needy and hungry. Diet restrictions are not enough and form only twenty five percent of our effort to undergo a meaningful lent. The other three parts are prayer, reconciliation and good behavior and helping those in need with food and money. We need some solid investments in heaven through our help to others here. Even though we will feel sad of letting go of hard-earned savings, we can be assured that the investments we make will be safe in God’s hands, ready to be encashed at another time and in another form. Amen.

(Picture credit: rhetoricaljesus.com)

The Valentine challenge: Will churches support inter caste marriages?

As we come across Valentine’s Day messages, loved up snaps of couples in courtship and already married, it will bid well to go back to the story of St. Valentine. Whether mythical or not, we are reminded of the story of the young priest who gives support to young couples who wanted to get married. The decree of Emperor Claudius that young men should not get married as he wanted a strong army is then challenged and opposed. Valentine is thrown into jail and later tortured and killed for this.

Churches and other religious institutions oppose Valentine’s Day because of the way it has been commercialized and has become a means of selling merchandise including red flowers, cards and other gifts. Special candle light dinners, vacations and offers are also added to the list of temptations. Young couples feel forced to spend money on each other to prove their love. The commercialization of this day can indeed be opposed even though I reject arguments that Valentine’s Day itself is against Indian culture.

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’ observation that inter caste weddings are the real remedy for breaking caste can be read and interpreted for Valentine’s Day. But what is really happening in India? Marriage murders and honor killings are the rule of the day even in 2024. Either men from a Dalit background are killed for marrying a girl from an upper caste or a girl who belongs to an upper caste is killed for marrying someone from a lower caste or another community. These killings are not limited to certain parts of India only as was seen in 2018 in the case of the torture and murder of Kevin Joseph in Kerala or as late as 2023 when a 14 year old girl in Kerala was tortured by her own father and given pesticide due to which she later died. All because she was in a relationship with a boy from another community. In all cases, the justification of the parents is that they killed because they loved their child!

1 Corinthians 13:6 says that love does not rejoice in wrong doing but rejoices in the truth. Since when has the church started being against love? Or is the church and are other religions thinking of caste over and ahead of God and love? Valentine’s Day is a time to go beyond celebrations and to light a candle for all the couples who deeply loved each other and yet could not live together because of the narrow mindedness of their family, religion and even church. The passion shown by churches to talk about and preach about their community and not about our Lord Jesus means that caste and community matter more to us and this should be called out and rejected at any cost.  

Today is a day of taking a stand, of supporting, of being strong so that those in love can be together. A priest should be a custodian of love, a custodian of couples who are in love and a custodian of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need more Valentine priests in our midst. Priests who can reflect the zeal of St. Valentine, who gave his life for the happiness of young couples. The church has to also come clear on this and stop preaching importance of community and caste and give protection, legal help and spiritual guidance to young couples from different castes and communities who want to get married. The church has to become a safe space for love, the preaching of love, the enacting of love and for people in love.

Lent Day 3: Worship God this lent

Worship is primarily a response to God’s initiative to reach out to us and be with us. The place we worship belongs to God and the words we use are inspired by God. Even though we write prayers, read prayers, follow rubrics, do rituals and seek God, it is God who is primary and all important.

The moment we lose focus of God, the worship ends up being a human initiative with no contact with God. The disconnection with God also leads us to worshipping idols and pictures and following certain superstitions. This is different from icons which point to God or God’s saints, and rituals which strengthen the symbols which talk about and lead to God.

Lent should also lead to God and draw us closer to God. Any lent and fasting without God are a superstition. Only God should be worshipped and any other worship is forbidden. That is why we should distance ourselves from money, fame, recognition and power.

The devil is ever on the look out to tempt and distract us. The means of distraction are subtle and not so subtle notions of power, attractions and seats and posts. Temptations are bound to increase during lent and fasting because making us fall is deeply satisfying to the devil. As we try to grow closer to God, the devil tries to pull us away from God and instead pulls us towards him.

In St. Luke 4:7, the devil tells Jesus, “If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” The it here is the authority to all the kingdoms of the world. The devil is tempting Jesus himself and trying to pull Jesus towards him. This is when in verse 8, Jesus answers, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”

This is the essence of lent. Not to ask for power, authority, seats, fame and money. But to worship God and to serve God only. Lent is not about us but about God who has created us, who has come for us and who cares about us. Serving God is what lent means. Amen.

Lent Day 2: Being a fool, this lent

The beginning of lent is marked by the service of reconciliation in the Eastern churches. Reconciliation is a reaching out, a touching, a yearning and a seeking of forgiveness not just for doing something wrong but for genuinely wanting to come together with someone. It is a giving up, a searching and an accepting. In St. Matthew 18:12-14 we witness to the story of the shepherd who goes behind one sheep, leaving behind ninety-nine. Truly, it is not sensible, just and fair and yet the shepherd does it.

Lent is seen by many as a time to grow in strength, make the soul and mind pure and to be ready for anything. But have we thought about becoming a fool for lent? Love, compassion and caring cannot be done practically and wisely. There is nothing practical in love. We cannot love someone without losing anything. And in today’s world that is seen as foolish. The usage, “Are you mad?”, “Are you a fool?” suggests how society looks at us when we go behind the one who has broken away from the group. It makes no sense and is not practical.

Many a time in relationships we notice with sadness that we are being made a fool. A good friend may remind us that we are being cheated and misled and it is time to fight back. The shepherd charts into unknown territory, leaving the known land, the known sheep, leaving loyalty, love and acceptance and going somewhere where strangeness and uncertainty wait. Many people we love may be taking advantage of us and will be enjoying the feeling of making a fool of us. And yet, reconciliation is to be a fool, knowing that we are being fooled and made out into a fool.

Jesus knew he was being betrayed at several points in his ministry. It was not just Judas, but other disciples, so called benefactors and even family who were making use of his fame and skills for their own benefit. Yet, this parable of the lost sheep, is a hand of reconciliation to those who betrayed him, cheated him and took advantage of him. This step of reconciliation is also done by isolating the ninety-nine, by overlooking their loyalty and love and going behind the one who strays.

The service of reconciliation is a service as the word suggests and is done within the walls of the church but perhaps should be done outside as those to be reconciled with are outside the walls of the church. This though can only be done by making those inside uncomfortable, making them wait and making them feel challenged as to why they are faithful and still waiting for the one they are loyal to. The ones inside have come for reconciliation and yet the shepherd goes after the one outside.

Being a fool for Christ and being a fool so that we move out of known and comfortable territory is a Lenten challenge for us. May we be able to take up the challenge and try to reconcile not just for a day but for the entirety of lent. Amen.

 

Lent Day 1: Learning to walk backwards

As we embark on another Great Lent, the call to return to God and be one with God is loud and clear. God’s love towards human beings reflected in the incarnation of God’s son Jesus Christ is then commemorated with seven weeks of the life, ministry, healing, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. As much as we see the Great Lent as something we have to do, it is also a response to God’s call to reconcile with God. This reconciliation is also then supposed to be with other human beings and all of creation as Jesus has asked us to love one another as he has loved us and as he loves his Father.

But how can we hear, see and experience God? This calls for a retreat and a walking back. People earlier have tried to walk backwards for a novelty, to break a record or for a cause. But this is not something done usually. Now research suggests that walking backwards as an exercise is good because it makes our knees and ankles strong, makes us sharper and heals our body in some significant ways.

I would like to suggest walking backwards and retreating as a way to enter into the experience of lent because it helps us see God, see one another and see ourself as well. The retreating and walking back creates a space to think, to look, to realize and to change. It is an opportunity to realize that we have erred somewhere, that we need to change, that we can do something differently and we can simply give space to someone.

The wedding at Cana in St. John 2: 1-11 is a very common bible passage, known even to non-Christians. St. Mary informs Jesus that the wine has run out. But Jesus is not very interested and says his time has not come. What St. Mary does now is a lesson in retreating and walking backwards. She steps back and tells the servers to do whatever he tells them. The element of faith of St. Mary is the faith in God’s son, the faith in Jesus her son and her faith in goodness. Yet, she realizes that she has done something wrong or inappropriate. So she steps back and yet does not lose her hope.

The stepping back or the walking backwards helps. Jesus tells the servers to fill the stone jars with water which then is transformed into wine. It is a wonderful model for the start of lent and for our life in general. Have faith in God and in one another. How much ever we love someone, be prepared to retreat and walk back. Be ready to give space and prevent them from being suffocated by our love. Husbands do likewise to your wife, wives to your husband, parents to their children and children to their parents, friends to one another and colleagues likewise. Nothing is to be taken for granted and yet hope has to remain. Everyone needs their space to act, to perform and to do.

Lent is a time to allow God to perform miracles. But the credit of the miracle is for God and we need to create that space. Priests have to create a space for the people to see God and witness to God. The closeness to God should turn to a retreat and walking backwards because otherwise others won’t get to see God. St. Mary’s walking back turns a private miracle into a public proclamation of faith. Do what we have to do and then stand back for God to work. Amen.