The Holy Otherness of God

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, make me a catechist teaching your mercy and generous forgiveness through my life

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The readings of this Sunday seems to invite our attention to the importance of catechesis in the church. The U.S. Catholic bishops have designated this third Sunday of September as Catechetical Sunday.

The first reading’s insistence (Is 55:6-9) that God’s ways are not our ways provides a solid basis for the need for catechesis. The Gospel parable (Mt 20:1-16) provides a good example of how different God’s ways are from our instinctive human reactions to a situation. It might be good, therefore, to focus precisely on that disjuncture.

There is a tendency among us humans to bring God “down to our level” by attributing to God some of our baser human attitudes and behaviours. For example, because many of us have a knee-jerk reaction to the wrongs done to us and tend to pay back blow for blow, evil for evil, we may think that God will act with like spitefulness. Similarly, we who tend to hold grudges, dredge up past hurts and relish vengeance. We presume God will not forgive because we cannot or will not; we think God will harbour anger because we do. We think that God would never afford the grace of another chance for conversion, for repentance, for reconciliation because we find such grace “cheap” or “offensive” and thereby stifle its possibilities. We have to be on guard against diminishing the holy otherness of God. This otherness of God is revealed as mercy and generous forgiveness when human standards would dictate otherwise. Here lies the crux of the challenging mission shouldered by catechists.

Do we give special respect and reverence to catechists as those who help the community to embrace values and behaviour that flow from Christ rather than from society? Too often people assume that the function of catechesis is to produce people who will behave according to society’s accepted rules, that is to conform to the status quo.

Yet if God’s ways are not our ways, the fruit of good catechesis will be people who challenge the status quo whenever it is at odds with the values of the Gospel.

Let us specially pray today for all the religious teachers in Catholic Schools and parish religious programmes, preschool catechists and catechumenate team members.

Sign of Salvation?

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, make me aware of my sinfulness, whenever I see your cross as salvific sign.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the cross. Is it not ironical that we exalt an instrument of execution? Despite its obvious cruelty and infamy, the cross has become a central symbol of our faith. Because of Jesus’ love radiating from the cross, it has become the sign of our salvation and the cause of our joy.

The bronze serpent referred to in the 1st reading (Num. 21:4-9) stands as a salvific sign reminiscent of the cross. Moses' lifting up of the bronze serpent in the desert is compared to the lifting up of Jesus on the cross and in his resurrection (Gospel Jn:3:13-17). In the early Christian Hymn quoted by Paul in today’s 2nd reading (Phil. 2:6-11), the cross of Jesus is celebrated as the passage through which Jesus accomplished the salvation of mankind.

Besides its value as the sign of our salvation, the cross, according to psychologist Kelsey, is also a vivid symbol of the evil that is in each of us. In an article titled “The Cross and the Cellar”, Kelsey suggests that each of us has an ordinary personality which we “wear” in public; underneath that public persona is a cellar which hides the refuse and rubbish which we would rather not see ourselves or let others see. Below that, there is an even deeper hold, a truly hellish place, full of dragons, demons, violence, hatred and viciousness. The cross is crucial because it shows what possibilities for evil lie hidden in each of us. Whenever we look upon the cross we see not only what the love of God for sinners can do, but also what mankind can do, has done and still does to human beings.

Scratch the surface of a person, says Kelsey and below you’ll find a beast or worse than a beast. This reality is attested to by the cross. History also attests to this reality. Remember the Nazi concentration camps where six million Jews were systematically tortured, starved and eventually gassed to death by other human beings. Recall the untold numbers of wars within nations, ironically called civil wars. Remember Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Waco, Columbine, Iran and more recently, Iraq. All of these and so many other atrocities come together and stare out at us from the cross.

Caring Correction

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help me to give caring correction instead of criticizing and complaining.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today’s readings invite our attention to the watchman’s role given us by God. As believers we are bound to one another by our shared faith in the same God. By virtue of that bond we willingly accept to become responsible for one another in the greater human family we call church. That responsibility includes loving support, service, respect for one another as well as the caring gift of mutual correction.

The first reading (Ez 33:7-9) compares the prophet Ezekiel’s efforts at brotherly correction to that of a watchman or sentinel warning others of the dangers of their wicked ways. While it was their responsibility to warn his contemporaries, it was their responsibility to take his warning to heart.

Paul, in today’s second reading (Rom. 13:6-10), describes the communal bond that binds the members of Christ to one another in terms of an indebtedness of love. That love does no wrong but labours solely for the good of the others.

The gospel (Mt. 18:15-20) offers a “method” of restoring the mutual indebtedness of love once it had been lost through sin. This “method” requires that the brother who loves another enough to correct him should go to that brother vulnerable. The process being taught by Jesus for resolving differences is often the exact opposite of what we usually do. Too frequently when we find fault with another, we take circuitous rather than a direct course of action. We criticise and complain. In effect, we give ourselves over to gossip rather than to growth and to backbiting rather than caring correction. But Jesus recommends that we approach the other one-on-one, with no power. This will make us more likely to ask than to accuse and to seek agreement rather than argument.

In his excellent book titled “Life Together” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, quoting James (5:15) exhorts, “Confess your sins to one another”. If believing sinners do not reach out to one another in this way, then, despite their shared worship, common prayer and all their fellowship in service, each remains alone. In mutual confession and correction, the breakthrough to community takes place; a breakthrough to new life is made possible.