Lent Day 37: Execution of persecution

How many of us will choose to be and remain a Christian if we realise that we have to die for it? Not just die, but suffer in the meanest of ways and then die? How many will witness to Christ if we are sure we will be persecuted and the execution of the persecution will be a painful death? Did Jesus’ disciples believe that he would be killed despite being the miracle man and the one who brought others back from death? Will there be anyone left in the church if we have to die to gain membership?

These are difficult questions which aren’t asked anymore because it will lead to wholesale desertions and falling numbers. The word persecution itself is taboo and used as a decoration instead of a faith declaration. This is absolutely why Jesus’ disciples did not understand what he meant in St. Luke 18, verse 32 and 33, when he said, “For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon; they will scourge him and kill him, and on the third day he will rise.”

Even though we talk about relinquishing food during lent, the intend is to relinquish our body and life. The reminder that we have to lose ourself to find it is also made in the same regard. When one is not concerned anymore about a disease or a problem, the intensity of the disease or problem itself decreases. We are usually unwilling to be subject to persecution because we have a lot to lose. The moment we forget profit and loss, we also forget pain.

Lent can be a pleasant and strengthening experience, the moment we take our mind off our assets and wealth. The body loses weight, the mind loses associations and the soul loses evil. Jesus didn’t seem to hate the fact that he would be persecuted and killed. He didn’t fear death and pain. The more he drew closer to death, the more he talked about it.

We hesitate to forgo food, forget not thinking about pain and death. Persecution is politicized and not looked forward to. We talk about the persecution of others, rather than offering ourselves for persecution. The execution usually never happens. This lent, may there be a turnaround, whereby we prepare for the execution of our persecution. Amen.

Lent Day 30: See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

Exorcism or expelling of an evil spirit is found in many religions, primal and other. There are also primal religious forms which have religious performances in which a performer becomes someone else for a while and gives oracles and opinions. Both have been misunderstand in mainline society and religion. Exorcism is done in vulgar forms leading to a life long scar for the person accused of being possessed by a spirit. Religious performances are not evil but religious expressions connected with nature and performed by tribals, adivasis and dalits. 

Despite this, mainline society is obsessed with stories and incidents of possession and evil creatures and people. So much so that all mainline religions are forced to provide religious solutions for such so called possessions. Some denominations even have prayers for it while others get creative and address the needs of the situation. Force and even threats and violence is used to tame the evil spirit. The atmosphere itself is scary and strange. Few people actually seek professional help and guidance of psychologists. 

The 1993 Malayalam movie “Manichitrathazhu” is perhaps one of the rare movies and civil society efforts to find a solution which uses the help of a psychology doctor and a religious priest at the same time. A sort of mutual respect. But the movie was successful in bringing out the serious issue of spirit possession and the ways it is dealt with in traditional societies. In St. Luke 4: 31-36, Jesus encounters a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon. But Jesus’ response is exemplary. The noise and big performance is put up by the man while Jesus is calm and assured. 

It is also interesting that the man with the unclean spirit was in the synagogue. 

Lent is a time when we can challenge many superstitions and wrong thoughts. People are not only concerned with people with evil spirits, but also houses which are possessed. Religious leaders are called in to pray and expel the evil spirits from the house and even building and land. The leaders then suggest change in position, change in main door, change in gate, and digging and putting prayed upon threads, stones and special items for the expelling of the evil spirit and for a change in fortune. 

Jesus did not do any of this. He called upon the spirit, asked it to be quiet and asked it to come out. He then asked them to not identify him and not say that he was the son of God. Lent should be seen as a time to cleanse our mind of such superstitious thoughts. Instead, we should get help for the concerned person by listening, spending time with them, assuring them and then identifying deep seated traumas and experiences which bring about these seizures and so called possessions. Lent is a time to tame, not by violence and superstition, but by touch and prayer. Amen.

Lent Day 29: The selfie moment

Wherever Jesus went, big crowds always were near him. Getting close and managing a conversation with Jesus was a difficult task. Whenever celebrities and famous people come to a place, it is similar to this. There are people who want to get close, people who want to touch the person and people who want to say something. The bouncers or security keep them away and create a secure ring.

So many people wanted to see Jesus and so they followed him wherever he went. Not everyone managed to get close though. The able bodied, the well connected and the numerous disciples themselves kept getting close. When celebrities walk to the location where an event is planned, they sometimes stop unplanned. This could be when they see a child, youngsters and even an odd old lady. The security won’t be able to say no even though they feel there is a threat to the celebrity. This selfie moment with that lucky person will be something they savor for their entire lifetime.

In St. Luke 13: 10-13, we see such a selfie moment for a woman who was weak and bent over for eighteen years. The bent would have prevented her from seeing many of the people passing and would have also prevented them from noticing her. It was a fortunate thing that Jesus managed to notice her. Her bent would have prevented her from standing straight with him, with his hand over her shoulder. But Jesus then unlike many of us, who would be satisfied with a selfie with the weak woman and then sharing the selfie in our Instagram account, calls her and tells her that she is freed from her weakness.

Imagine the joy of the woman who would have looked people straight in the eye after a gap of eighteen years! Jesus then lays his hand upon her and she is made straight. The selfie moment is not one taken with her eyes down, with submission and in surrender. Rather the selfie moment comes with a confident, self-reliant and liberated woman, who becomes the darling of the crowd. So much that it irritates the ruler of the synagogue who makes a big speech about the sanctity of the Sabbath. The truth would have really been that he did not get a selfie moment with Jesus, whereas the woman at the margins, the unseen and unheard woman, becomes the centerpiece.

We will all have our selfie moment with Jesus. The more we are oppressed, the more he will see us. The more we are pushed to the margins, the more he will call us loud. The more we are bent with our troubles and problems, the more he will touch and heal us. Yes, our selfie moment will be a moment of happiness, healing, liberation and acceptance. Amen.

Picture credit- www.margmowczko.com

Lent Day 27: House wives are not free helps

Women’s Day is celebrated today in many parts of the world and it is a time to recognise the hard work of women in our society, community and family. One day does not suggest that we should not recognise women on other days. Flimsy arguments that Men’s day is not celebrated also cannot hold ground. As far as the church is concerned it is a day to look at how the church has failed women. How it has not recognised women, given them their due in church and how they are devalued, insulted and made fun of inside churches. Churches have to take responsibility for the way women have been treated in society and lent is a time to repent for the shortcomings committed. 

In St. Luke 17: 7-10, Jesus makes reference to servants and how they are expected to do their work without expecting rewards, as it is after all their job and responsibility. The passage can be misinterpreted to mean that the social order of owners and servants can be maintained and continued because Jesus gives his agreement. But it can also be interpreted in the right way to suggest that Jesus means that all of us are servants of the Lord and the work we do is our responsibility. Jesus calls us to be faithful and sincere in our work and not to expect rewards while doing them because then God’s reward will not be ours. So instead of thinking that Jesus supports the oppressor, one should see it as how Jesus acknowledges the oppressed. 

Women do so many chores in the house. Society sees it as an expectation that they have to fulfil. Those not working and those working are expected to do house work. This is work which is not paid for, thanked, and even acknowledged. It is free work and it is expected of women. Men rarely contribute and when they do, the others join hands to discredit them. This expectation is a great burden on women and those who don’t take up work are dependent on their husband for money for their own needs and for needs of the house. Men usually keep accounts of the money they give to their wife or mother but never keep accounts of the work done and the sacrifices made. 

Jesus talks of a recognition and not omission of those working. They are seen as God’s workers who will be honoured and rewarded. They are also seen as faithful and praise worthy. A seat of honour is given to them and recognition is also theirs. Jesus’ use of the parable or example is to talk about those who serve God without expecting anything in return and for them rewards are already assured. 

Women working at home should be recognised for the work they do. There is no need for them to bow their heads when they say they are taking care of things at home. Rather, the home is running and the family is in order only because of them. The marriage, the family, the children are all being run by this one woman at home. She has the right to the entire income of the house and she has to decide how the money needs to be spent. That she does not seek her rights and her money is because of her decency and her commitment to the relationship and family. 

Men have to try and run a house. It is a mix of several jobs put together. It starts early in the morning and goes on till midnight. The house comes to a stand still without the woman of the house and everyone takes her role for granted. Men will find it difficult to do this even for a week forget a month. But then they will be asking for their reward and for recognition. That is when Jesus comes in and says that this work is one which gets no recognition. He of course does not mean it to discredit anyone. 

This women’s day, it is necessary for men, the society and church to understand the struggles of women. And the house is one of the spaces of immense struggles. Women need to be honoured, respected and rewarded for their work. This is only in a worldly manner. Spiritually, there is no doubt that women will be rewarded for their hard work and sacrifices. Happy women’s day. Amen.

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 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 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 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.

Gatecrashing Christmas

The Christmas season offers a variety of traditions for different churches like carols, songs, dinners, sending cards, lent, house visits, church services and fellowships. All traditions have a yearly plan for us and we know exactly what to do. So much so that Christ born is a definite event with no surprise and nothing new. People from other religions also join in to celebrate and it is a welcome sign that everyone is looking forward to Christmas every year.

But what if we had the opportunity to gatecrash Christmas this year? But why, one would ask? Let us take a look at two events which are associated with the advent and Christmas. The first one is in St. Luke 1:39-56 when Mary visits Elizabeth when she knows that Elizabeth is expecting a child. It is true that the baby inside Elizabeth leaps with joy but it is not said that Elizabeth was expecting Mary’s visit. Yet the two are so happy with each other’s presence and they express themselves fully in the happiness of the moment.

The second instance is in St. Luke 2:8-20 where we see the shepherds who are told by the angel that the Messiah is born. They have no idea who they are meeting other than what is said to them by the angel. They go and are in the presence of Mary and the baby. They then realise what they have witnessed and glorify God. In this case Mary had no idea who the shepherds were. The shepherds also had no idea who Mary and the baby Jesus were. Yet, they see each other and it goes off well. The gatecrashing moment led to great joy for Elizabeth and Mary and the shepherds and Mary and Jesus. It was not planned by all of them but they went along with it and it led to great and happy things.

Both the stories mentioned lead us to the concept of gatecrashing. Gatecrashing is when we go to a place uninvited. We usually won’t do it as we don’t know what the repercussions will be. And yet anyone who does it will feel so thrilled to do it. It can even sometimes be called unlawful depending on the type of programme. But nevertheless it will give us an emotion of great happiness and thrill, sometimes even better than other programmes that we attend on invitation.

This brings us to some things which we can look at during Christmas. Christmas is not an ‘upon invitation’ event which is open to a select few but it is what is open to anyone and if churches keep it as an “on invitation” event it is likely to be gatecrashed by the needy. This also teaches us that Christmas doesn’t belong only to Christians but to everyone because the salvation of Christ belongs to everyone. So there is no ‘one’ way or ‘the’ way to celebrate Christmas but several ways to celebrate it.  Christmas is open because Christ willed it so. The angel informing Mary and then informing the shepherds show a non-traditional way of messaging through which the angel chooses two sets of people who are insignificant to the traditional forms of celebrations in the society of their time. Christmas can be truly celebrated when we gatecrash, inspired by the Holy Spirit and led by angels into visiting houses where the elderly live, where we go places where forget cakes but even a meal is rare, where we go to where children are staring into the sky wondering why Christmas Father does not visit them when other apartment complexes and houses have loud music and celebration. 

Such gatecrashing also gives us the courage to do things we would otherwise not do. We simply would not pull ourselves up to do it. But gatecrashing Christmas means opening up the invitation for Christmas for everyone we know and being a part of the lives of others without them knowing before hand. This will make this season one heck of a gatecrash Christmas. We can definitely make it turn out as a time for us to gatecrash a house, a family, a church, or an individual just like Mary did to Elizabeth and just like the shepherds did to Mary and baby Jesus. May the bliss and grace of Christmas be upon us all. Amen. 

Picture credit: www.irishtimes.com

Don’t hide your face from God this lent

St. Luke 5:12-16

The passage of Jesus healing the man with leprosy kicks off a multitude of miracles committed by Jesus. But it will be revealing for us to check the first part of St. Luke 5 and then read verses 12 to 16 to understand an interesting contrast which will help us observe lent in a better way. This contrast between good and bad and accepted and unaccepted makes us question certain usages.

Jesus speaks to a crowd and he has his future disciples with him. They fish but are unsuccessful in their attempt. Jesus advises them to let down the nets. They get a big catch of fish. Simon is overwhelmed with shame that he kneels and tells Jesus to move away as Simon Peter considers himself a sinner. Jesus though still offers him hope. Our lent many a time is like Simon catching fish. We are confident that our lent is making us pure and strong whereas without Jesus there is no lent! Simon then realizes his inadequacy and hides his face from Jesus by kneeling down. Our lent is a hiding from God as we kneel and take part in the lent but never offers ourselves to God to be moulded according to God’s plan.

The leper on the other hand is our model for lent. He is the outcast. Like all lepers he would have faced the humiliation of informing people that he, a leper was coming and that they should not defile themselves because of him. It blinded the society so much that the word leper because synonymous with sinner. This is the man who talks to Jesus. But unlike Simon, he feels no shame of inadequacy. He has nothing to lose because he has not gained anything. The leper then kneels like Simon but unlike him, tells Jesus “If you wish (choose), make me clean.” In the process of touching and healing the leper, Jesus is healing us and our shame which we try to hide by observing lent.

But unlike Simon who was the accomplished fisher man, we can benefit well if we look at the leper, who was in turn the man looked down upon. While Simon gives up and asks Jesus to leave, the leper finds strength in his condition and invites God into his heart and life. The lent of Simon is the lent we unwittingly observe. We are lenting but we are pushing God away. The lent of the leper is what we should observe. It sounds and looks disgusting, but it is the lent to follow because we are asking God “Lord if you wish (choose), make me clean.”

What a beautiful lent this can be when we follow the foot steps of the leper, even though we are not sure how it is. The leper is confident and hopeful. On the other hand steps taken by the accepted may not take us to God because God is being asked to leave by the dominant. Let this be a lent when we leave society’s accusations and labels with them and kneel before God and say “If you wish, make me clean.” We can qualify that and say “If you wish make me a clean father/mother, if you wish Lord make me a clean son/daughter, if you wish Lord make me a clean sibling, if you wish Lord make me a clean person, if you wish Lord make me a clean friend and so on. Lent is not a time to live on our assurance and skill rather it is a time to live on the assurance of God.

A young child was told by her parents to observe lent. She asked questions about lent and tried to understand what it was. Her parents finally told her that lent meant sacrificing something we like so much. After some thought she said “I am going to have a study lent. I love studying, so I will stop doing that this Lenten season!” There is much wisdom in what the girl said because she noticed what the elders were doing. Let us stop hiding from God this lent, telling God that we are sinners and asking God to leave. Instead, let us leave that to Christ Jesus. Let him decide who we are and what we mean to him. In the course of this lent rejoice if others reject you because that means you will be accepted by God. Amen.   

The birth of Jesus: How Fr. Shibu and Kairunnissa are outing the inn (in)

St. Luke 2:6-7

The birth of Jesus is important not for cakes, decorations and celebrations but to be assured that humans are created in the image of God and will therefore live life loving and helping all that God has created. This is God saying that God has created human beings to reflect God’s self on earth. The birth of Jesus is indeed a happy event because it reminds and inspires us to do good even when everyone and everything around us does not. It is not to follow the world but to follow the voice and will of God.

The birth in unusual circumstances shows that the people of God cannot be limited to buildings and walls but should extend everywhere and anywhere because that is the real birth of Christ. The interpretation of no place being there in the inn is a reflection that God lives with the most ordinary of ordinary. Most of the things we have built on earth are an aberration of God's creation. It takes us away from the real birth of Christ. The church by moving into comfortable environs to celebrate the birth of Christ suggests our moving in to comfortable inns while the baby is denied a place inside the inn! The image of God is absent in such acts of celebration of the birth of Jesus. We do not have an affluent baby Jesus because a baby cannot be affluent by herself/himself.

The church has become too affluent for Jesus but all is not lost for the church and the people of the church. One can get rid of the affluence and try and make the birth of Jesus meaningful for everyone. Fr. Shibu K.Y., a Jacobite Christian priest donated one kidney to a Muslim woman Kairunnissa yesterday. By doing that he has challenged the affluent church to shed its affluence. Many were disturbed and uncomfortable with his decision and even suggested it was wrong to give away what God has given us to live a comfortable life. The argument that we need two kidneys because that is what God has given does not go along though with the fact that God was meant to be in heaven but chooses earth, was meant to be in the inn but ended up outside it and did not have to be crucified but was anyway. God gave up so that humans and the world would have and that is the birth of Jesus.

Fr. Shibu K.Y.

Fr. Shibu and Kairunnissa are offering us the opportunity to understand the birth narrative. We have gone far away from the born Jesus. This is an opportunity to come back to the narrative of what the birth of Jesus means. It is God loving and giving us. God need not but God does because that is what God is. The love of God encompasses everything we know. Fr. Shibu by giving and Kairunnissa by suffering and now receiving show us that Christ is born in them. We are getting an invitation to pray with them during Christmas. Of course we are not used to what they have done and so their spiritual invitation will also be difficult to accept and do. Never the less they have woken us up from institutional and individual slumber and we must thank them for that. From my facebook contacts I have also learned that Prof. Sakhi John is doing the same for Shaju Paul and they are following several others who have preceded them. Such individuals are challenging the church and the people in church to live Christmas or the birth of Jesus. The liturgy of their merciful church is not known to us and we haven’t heard the songs they are using. But there is a language of love that they are using and this is something all of us can follow if we take the effort to do so.

Prof. Sakhi John

St. Luke 2: 6-7 tells us that Mary and baby Jesus do not get space in the inn (‘in’). It is also that space in the inn is mostly not available to everyone as the inn has become institutional. It represents all churches which are not welcoming and loving. But Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus do not give up. They make the ‘out’ their home and that then becomes the place which the shepherds and the elders come to and see Jesus. Fr. Shibu and Kairunnissa and Prof. Sakhi and Shaju Paul among many others have not got a place in the inn (‘in’). But they did not give up and made the ‘out’ their inn. We can now join like the shepherds and see the birth that has happened. May the star lead us and the angels rejoice.