Lent Day 35: The worship of goodness and life

Why do we go to church? Why do we get together as a community? Why do we partake of communion and why do we listen to the word of God? Is it to adhere to certain time frames and rules? Is it to meet people and talk and share news? Or is it to pray for the well being of one another? If we do not get together for life and life in abundance, woe to us who get together at all!

It would do well for us if we tried to ask why certain people don’t come to church. It would benefit the church greatly, if we asked the youth why they are not so interested to come to the church. The answer to this would be that the church and the communities which constitute the church are not reflecting the community of Jesus. This means that we are not doing anything which has life in it, which supports life and which supports each other. Churches are turning out to be places of individual praise and groupism.

Jesus’ ministry was not like this. He would stretch his arms to the margins and touch the last and the least. He would reach out to the outcasts and those labelled as sinners. He would cast out demons, heal the sick and bring back the dead to life. That he sometimes did this on the Sabbath was natural, because crowds followed him wherever he went. He would go to the synagogue to teach and to discuss the scripture and many people said that they had never heard anyone speak like him.

Jesus stood for life and life in abundance. That was also why he healed and brought back people to life. Life, and not destruction was his agenda and calling. On the other hand, the others were there only to adhere to certain rules, only for the self and only for furthering their own groups and interests. Every healing that Jesus did on the Sabbath was a challenge to the people who were self-centered and group minded.

In St. Luke 6, verse 9, Jesus says, “I ask you, is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” He asked this question to all the scribes and Pharisees assembled there. They could not bear it that he was healing on the Sabbath and was bringing back people to life and to sanity. The conclusion of this is Jesus’ command to the man with the withered right hand. He tells him, “Stretch out your hand.” He does likewise and his hand was restored. This lent, we need to scrutinize our lives, communities, churches and worships. Are our get togethers life threatening or life giving? Can we become places which offer positive energy and positive thinking? Amen.  

Lent Day 26: Welcome back dear prodigals

We love to talk in terms of binaries and like the ‘us’ and ‘them’ usage in society, community and church. That is how we also come to usages like prodigal, the one who has gone astray and the like. Even though one of the meanings is reckless, I think it also means the one who has thought differently and done things which have ruffled quite a few feathers in the family and community. Another usage could also be the odd one out. Prodigals need not always be the one who has committed a mistake, but the one who has chosen to take a risk and stand against the usual doings of society. 

Latest interpretations do choose to use different usages than prodigal son. A younger son, the returning son, the different son. Repentance is a key element in the story in St. Luke 15. But this can also be seen differently. Even though the son appears to have repented the response of the Father is not suspicious and judgmental but welcoming. In verse 20 we read, “But while he was still at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” 

Every house and community has a so called prodigal son or daughter. Someone who has decided to chase their dream, do things differently and show courage in treading into unknown territories. They have perhaps upset others, made people talk about them and even create stories about them and chosen to go against the established values of the family and community. We should be careful when we say that the younger son repented and came back. It does not mean that he feels that everything he did was wrong, his family was always right and so he is now at the mercy of his father and family. 

It can mean that everyone appreciates support for chasing their dream. Some things can go wrong in between as they can for anyone and anything. But then trying again is no harm and accomplishing dreams also means failing many times before being successful. The younger son had failed but that does not mean that he was completely wrong and had given up. He comes back to be in the comfort of and to get the support of his father and family. 

We need to do the same with our children. They should be given the freedom to dream, to differ and to go their way. Differing is not a crime and not the end of the road. Rather, it is a right that everyone has. It does not suggest a cutting of ties and a negation of family. The Supreme Court in India today, in one of its judgments said that everyone has a right to dissent and every criticism is not an offence. 

Many have left the church citing differences, disagreements and conflicts. But they would also like to come back to their church from where they would like care, compassion and love. We must run to welcome them like the Father welcomes the returning son. The same should be at home too. Many children have left their homes due to many reasons. Their return should be a celebration and they should be welcomed back with warmth and love. 

It is obvious that those who are here will argue that they have to be given precedence for having stayed back and showed loyalty. But that does not mean anything. If anyone stayed back, it was perhaps their inability to leave, to voice their dissent and to follow their dream. Faithfulness to a family, community or church is not through presence and obedience but through dissent and disobedience. It does not suggest mutiny but difference of opinion while maintaining the love and care for one another. This lent, let us try to welcome back those who left. Welcome them back to our heart, home, community and church. Amen.

Lent Day 21: The Great Feast

Having a reading of the feeding of the four thousand is intriguing during lent. There is so much talk of depriving oneself of food, fasting and observing lent that we forget about feeding the people. The disciples were not interested in feeding the crowd or they thought that it would be difficult to embark on something like that. The miracle was not just feeding the four thousand and even more with seven loaves and a few fish, but being sure that it was indeed possible.

In our culture we take many things for granted. We do not want to do a certain thing because it is difficult and calls for a little effort. The disciples had to think of the seven loaves and the little fish, they also had to figure out how to divide this little food. So, the solution for them was to let the people go. Churches and communities are also like this. They will think that the people who come will fend for themselves and go back from church and eat from their home. All this because, arranging snacks or food is an effort and is hard work.

This is also why many government institutions don’t have basic facilities. There won’t be drinking water, proper toilets, canteens and the like because the idea is that the public will fend for themselves and there is no need to provide these essential and basic facilities. Jesus thinks differently. Even though he didn’t have to give food, he thinks about it. He looks at fulfilling the basic human needs of those who came to listen to him. Even though they came out of their own wish, Jesus feels it is essential to provide for them.

In St. Mark 8: 6 it is said that, he takes the loaves “and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd.” There is a great feast that Jesus initiates and calls us to initiate too. The coming together of a crowd also calls for their wellbeing and offering them food. Churches have to take this up with or without lent. Lent is a good time to think about this and start food programmes. It should not be limited to our church and community but to all who come. The Sikh gurudwaras with their Langars (community kitchen) are a beautiful example of this in today’s world. Christians cannot do without feasting. But feasting as excessive happiness should not just be the meaning we get. It is rather a meal given in a crowd which makes them justly happy and therefore in a festive mood.

Food also has a holiness aspect to it. It should not be wasted and disrespected. It becomes another sharing and fellowship. Food is indeed the way to the heart. We have a responsibility to serve food as it is an effort to alleviate hunger. Many in the crowd and in our church and community may not have the luxury of food. It is our way of life which makes us think the contrary. Many who come to churches may have fasted and are not necessarily going back to an assured plate of food. Jesus thought practically and was concerned about the people who did not have an idea about whether they would eat or not.

The Great Fast and Great Lent should go along with the Great Feast. A fast and lent without the feasting and the fellowship is far from the teaching of Jesus. Many poor people observe lent and such lents are much more difficult than observed by others. It is the responsibility of the haves to then provide to the have nots, just like Jesus did. May this lent remind us of this feasting, a feast and feasting for the poor and needy. 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 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 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)

 

This lent assure others that their faith is great

Matthew 15:21-31

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” ²³ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” ²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶ He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷ She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” ²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

If we are to put ourselves in the place of Jesus and his disciples, St. Matthew 15:21-31 places a woman from another community/caste/religion in front of us this lent. It is not a familiar and a comfortable scene and neither was it for Jesus’ disciples and even for him. The disciples are almost irritated with the presence of the Canaanite woman and that is why they ask Jesus to send her away. They are disturbed by her shouting. Jesus makes a matter of fact statement when he says that “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” But the woman comes closer and kneels and seeks help. Jesus explains the situation to her and says that he cannot help her because it will not be fair to take the food of the children and throw to the dogs. This is when there is an unexpected twist to the proceedings. The woman says that even the dogs eat the crumbs that have fallen from the table. Jesus stops what he is doing and says “Great is your faith. Let it be done to you as you wish.”

This encounter of Jesus and the Canaanite woman speaks volumes to us during lent. We must also appreciate the wisdom of the church leaders to place this reading in churches during lent. The woman’s daughter is tormented by a demon and that is why she has come to Jesus. The problem though here is that the Jews and the Canaanites do not have that good a relationship. One could definitely classify them as enemies with a history of enmity. This is why the disciples become uncomfortable. They want the woman to go away but they cannot beat her or push her away because they cannot behave like others. They are part of the Jesus movement. So they put the burden on to Jesus. Jesus takes it up.

One must realize that our surroundings always affect us to a certain extent. We speak based on our surroundings. Jesus therefore is quite cold when he mentions to the woman and anyone else who would have been there that he has come for certain people only. We should introspect during lent and realize that we too prefer to put our burdens on to Jesus and withdraw from any worthwhile thing that we are supposed to do during lent and even otherwise. In this sense we as the church sometimes withdraw from our responsibilities and leave Jesus to fend for himself forgetting that both the bride and the bride groom form the family/church. It is not that he can’t. But who and what are we then? Jesus though stays just there and has a dialogue with the woman. He says that it is not fair for him to look at the sufferings of others as then his own community would suffer. How could he do this? But this is when the woman shows a way forward. We do not come together as communities or do not help those outside our community because we reach a road block and feel we cannot help even though some part of us wants to! The Canaanite woman offers a solution. She does not want Jesus to stop helping his community but asks for the crumbs, the fringe and blessings on the side path which his community will anyway not use. The woman opens up a vista of ministry for Jesus where his ministry gets expanded to the least and the last of communities other than his.

We as the church should open our eyes to see the Canaanite woman in our midst so that our ministry will have a scope to widen inside and outside the walls of our church. During lent it will help to look around in our church and see who is standing next to us. Are we only seeing familiar and comfortable faces? Then we are reflecting the disciples. But can we see other faces in our midst? Then we will be able to reflect Jesus in our lives. All of us represent the church. We are the church. The keys to the doors of the church are with us. During lent, can we open the doors so that others can also come in. If Jesus told the woman that her faith was great, he is also telling the same thing today. Who are we to keep others away from the grace and mercy of God? Lent should be a time when we stop saying “Sending her away” like the disciples. Instead we must be able to look at others and say “Great is your faith. Let it be done to you as you wish.” Amen.

Notes from class for diocesan youth

John 14:27 would be apt for the youth. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."
The symbol of the fish in Christianity and the power of two.

Luke 10:1-12- After this the Lord appointed seventy[a] others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’[b] 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’[c] 12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

1 Timothy 4:9-15- The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and struggle,[a] because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
11 These are the things you must insist on and teach. 12 Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture,[b] to exhorting, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.[c] 15 Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress.
1 Corinthians 6:12-20- “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,”[e] and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.” 17 But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple[f] of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

Luke 15:11-32- Then Jesus[a] said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with[b] the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’[c] 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ 31 Then the father[d] said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”
Youth ministry: From doing office work to becoming more faith conscious. Increasing our faith and knowing what our faith is.

Luke 24:13-35
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad.[b] 18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19 He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth,[c] who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.[d] Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25 Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah[e] should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us[f] while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
In the same way, youth ministry begins with a presence to the young which engenders the confidence and the hope to ask questions. Attentive listening to the concerns of the young person enables the youth minister to understand more deeply the youth’s needs and stage of growth. At that point, the youth minister is able to respond, sharing with the young person the help, insights, or values that are the fruit of a life rooted in faith. By drawing out of the youth reflections on the action of God in the events of his or her own life, this sharing enables the young person to begin formulating answers in the light of witnessed tradition and Gospel values. The bond created in this relationship is celebrated in the community, most fully in the Eucharistic celebration of the Orthodox community.
If we follow the Emmaus model, youth ministry is the Church’s mission of reaching into the daily lives of modern young people and showing them the presence of God. It is a return to the way Jesus taught, putting ministry before teaching and people over institutions. In this ministry, religious content is a way of life for the person ministering and the young person touched, through a sequential development of faith, dependent on the readiness and need of the adolescent.

Principles of Youth Ministry
The living dynamics of youth ministry, through which these goals are achieved, may best he articulated in several key principles of ministry. These character arid underlie its effectiveness.
I. Youth is a unique time during personal growth.
the teenage years represent the critical period of transit from childhood to adulthood, during which physical, psychological and social growth is more concentrated than at any comparable time span in life. Since the development
of faith is tied to the interpretation of meaning in one’s life and experiences -
the teenage years are an important juncture for the individual’s spiritual development. the youth begins to forge a personal sense of meaning and set of values, and becomes capable of a deeper personal relationship with Christ and responsible Christian action. To help young people as they struggle with this effort, youth ministry must involve the understanding of parents, the guidance and example of peers and significant adults, and the ongoing maturing of the faith community which accepts the responsibility to share in the youth’s search for meaning and a language of faith.

II. Youth ministry is concerned with the total person.
Youth ministers should take seriously their responsibility to help young people grow as total persons, socially, spiritually, culturally, etc. The total young person has many important concerns which must be understood in the context of daily living, including family situations, relationships with peers, academic and extra-curricular involvement, response to religion, and moral value questions. In the life of each young person, different needs express them-
Themselves at various times during the process of maturing, and one of the hallmarks of youth ministry should be sensitivity to the young persons readiness for new steps.

III. Youth ministry is rooted in relationships.
Youth ministry involves first and foremost, not programs, but relationships. Within accepting relationships, young people are enabled to face and accept themselves and others, to clarify their goals and values, and to dare to become the persons they are called to be. Relationships that form youth ministry are those that form community and mediate the grace of Christ, challenging young people to greater growth and openness to God. The relationship of persons in a ministerial situation involves a mutual openness to change and willingness to grow. Both youth and adults are enriched by this bond, in such a way that the faith community is vitalized arid the risen Christ witnessed to.

IV. Youth ministry is a call to community.
God calls youth and adults alike to be members of His people, the Church, to join in pilgrimage to the Father and share insights into the meaning and value of life. As the Body of Christ, the community brings to youth the life-giving presence of Jesus in Word and Sacrament. Absolutely essential to effective youth ministry is the support and lived example of the surrounding faith community, particularly the parish. Without this, youth ministry exists iii a vacuum that cuts short fuller growth arid maturity in faith. Because the young person is involved most fully in the local communities of family, parish and school, youth ministry is most eflectivenly carried out in these settings. Youth ministry serves to support and enhance the basic faith committment of youth in each of these community contexts. Youth ministry also exerts a force for healing and reconciliation in those communities which suffer from the strain of youth’s need to reject and then re-integrate their roots.

V. Youth ministry proceeds as an affirmation of gifts.
The recognition and development of individual gifts and the building of a positive sense of personal worth and ability are an important aspect of the process of youth ministry. To effectively call the young person toward maturity, affirmation must be united to genuine trust of the young person’s integrity and ability. By awakening a young person’s potential and accepting his or her gifts, the community enriches its life and its own ability to minister to others.

VI. True youth ministry duplicates itself.
It is essential that youth ministry evoke in each person the willingness to offer ministry to others. Youth ministry should call youth not only to join programs, but also to join with others in living out tile Church’s mission to share the good news, live in community, and serve others in love and justice.
The interrelated principles out med above serve as a foundation for the concept ot youth mini stry, hut this listing is not necessarily exhaustive. With the maturity of ministry, others will be able to identify additional principles to complement those described here. Love of the neighbor- Bishop Don Helder Camara- “When I give food to the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.” Teaching people to fish rather than giving them fish.
Caring for the neighbor is not an add on but the essence of Christianity.

(Section of notes from class taken for the Bangalore diocese youth at the St. Gregorios JSO Church, Hosa Road on October 31, 2015.)

Sport and religion: The world cup challenge

A sport is not just a way to entertain ourselves but a coming together of different cultures, minds and bodies. It depends on whether one is on the field or watching the field. For one it is performance and the other it is spectatorship. Both, mind you are important and one cannot survive without the other. Religion can also be demarcated into the enactor and the audience. The enactor detaches himself/herself from the present and uses the past to address the here and the future. The audience brings out their vuvuzelas and rant for victory.

This could sound outrageous or outrageously true! How on earth can sport and religion be discussed in the same breath? It is intriguing that some churches in Kerala still have volleyball courts, badminton courts and play grounds attached to them. This could be because they are near schools or because they have a more youth friendly approach. Whatever the reason, it has led to the youth in the church along with nearby youth belonging to various religions coming together and playing in one turf. The resulting camaraderie achieved somehow cannot be emulated in other instances. Sports do indeed have a case for being discussed.

Football has been a sport/game which has an unparallel following throughout the world because it is played and followed in many nations. It is sort of a religion with a wide following. It has achieved success in acting as a calming influence among disturbed youth and in difficult environments. Youth who would otherwise get into various addictions are given a platform to express themselves. So a sport with a wide following is made use of to help various communities around the world. India more so is obsessed with cricket but come the football world cup, many households and common places burn the midnight oil supporting South American and African teams. Euphoria is created by television and other companies vying with each other to sell their products in the bargain.

Various leaders join in the battle cry for the world cup even suggesting which team will win. Church leaders are not far behind either. But unfortunately what appears to be happening is not a support for a sport which has wide possibility of helping communities and fostering togetherness but a support for companies which stand to gain through sport. Coming a close second is the subconscious need to be part of a battle, whatever kind, as long as it is on a field. Shakira’s world cup song is catchy but the lyrics also talk about this battle. ‘You’re a good soldier. Choosing your battles. Pick yourself up. And dust yourself off. And back in the saddle.’ Again ‘You’re on the frontline. Everyone’s watching. You know it’s serious. We’re getting closer. This isn’t over.’ And finally, ‘Listen to your God. This is our motto. Your time to shine. Don’t wait in line.’

I have loved watching the world cup thus far. The Messi’s, the Forlan’s, the Lee Chung-yong’s, the Mueller’s, the Rooney’s, the Drogba’s, and the Khune’s. But I have also enjoyed watching Binu, Shiju, Philip, Moa, Chinza, David, Ranbir, Sajish, Tasha, Nilu and Priya in the small fields of India, playing for acceptance and togetherness. Why would I watch only the football word cup, a far away battle for primacy and not choose to see a game which is a battle for survival much nearer? I wouldn’t ask anyone to not watch the world cup because after all it is a cultural experience which brings people together. But I would plead with the church and its people to accept the possibility that sports and games offers the church in India. This then is the sacredness of religion and sport. This is the sacredness which lies on the ground and the sacredness which brings people together in a special bond and love.