Make Family Holy

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help us to decide that people are more important than things.   Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today’s liturgy invites our attention to two families: Abraham and Sarah, Joseph and Mary. Their adventurous acts in forging their way and in forming themselves as God’s people are reminiscent of the struggles faced by families today. In an article titled “Unintended Consequences”, Fr. James Smith illustrates the impact of social pressures on American Life. ‘Unintended consequences’ is an expression used by social scientists to account for side effects of larger issues. On this feast of Holy Family it is worth reflecting on the “unintended consequences” of modern life on Canadian families.

Years ago we thought that technology and work-saving devices would give us more free time. But, in fact, now we work more hours than people did twenty five years ago. Lack of time is the worst problem of the families at present.

Both parents have to work now, whereas one parent’s work was enough in the past. Why? Needs increased. Today parents think of themselves becoming successful only if they house their children in certain neighbourhoods, clothe them in designer clothes, feed them junk food and teach them to take care of themselves.

Now the parents spend more time at work than with the children for the good of the children. If they sincerely believe so, are they not considering themselves as providers rather than companions? Does it not mean that parents think children prefer presents from them rather than their personal presence? And does it not turn their children into little more than small consumers?

We may not be able to control outside forces, but we can remain in charge of our inner lives. We can decide that people are more important than things. We can decide that families are worth more than careers. We can decide that we have values worth handing on to our children; and they would be better people for having them. We can decide that our children would benefit by our presence. We can decide that our family should be holy.

Celebrate God’s Presence

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help me to become a new creation through the gift of God’s presence.   Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Every year we celebrate Christmas. In every Christmas we celebrate the presence of God. How should we celebrate this wonderful gift of God’s presence in Christmas 2008? This Sunday’s readings give us certain models.

The first reading from 2nd Samuel narrates David’s model of celebrating the gift of God’s presence. He wanted to build a temple for the Lord. But God intervened through the prophet Nathan and told him to wait. Constructing a temple at that time might cause confusion and misunderstanding among people regarding the real nature and purpose of the God’s gift of presence. Because people were used to the ever available presence of God through the mobile tent and tabernacle with them. That is to say, they had always the experience of God being with them wherever they went. It was almost like the experience of God in their hearts. If building a temple undermines the concept of God’s ever-available presence in the hearts, David was not doing a service to God. So he was asked to wait even though the temple would have helped to unify the people in some respects.

In the second reading, we see Paul speaking about the mystery revealed to him. Though the gift of God’s presence was first given to the Jews, in God’s total plan it was to embrace the Gentiles too. In other words, God’s gift of presence was meant for all people on earth. And so the Jews had to take their eyes from Jerusalem’s temple and look for God’s presence in the hearts of all people. A shift from temple to hearts.

In the Gospel we find Luke depicting Mary as the model in welcoming God’s presence. She accepts and activates the word in spite of her doubts. When she said ‘Yes’, the power of God overshadowed her and made her a new creation and through her the whole creation became new and redeemed. How do we celebrate this gift of God’s presence in our lives? Did the Eucharistic Congress in Quebec (held last June 15-22, 2008 with the theme The Eucharist, gift of God for the life of the world) help us to celebrate this gift of God's presence in us? Is our church an “upper room” for us to reach out to people? Does the gift of God’s presence unite us through our worship in the church and motivate us to embrace the needy?

From Anxiety to Joy

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, transform my anxieties into your joyful presence. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today is Gaudete Sunday. The name comes from the Entrance Antiphon from today’s liturgy. Every mass has an Entrance Antiphon (usually a phrase from scripture) assigned to it, and it used to be a custom to assign a title to every Sunday mass. The title was a Latin word taken from the first word of the Entrance Antiphon. The first word today is rejoice - Gaudete! The colour of vestments for today’s liturgy is rose. The lighting of the rose candle in the Advent wreath adds to the ambience of this joyous day.

All the readings of this Sunday underscore the theme of joy. In the 1st reading from Isaiah, we read “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord”. In the 2nd reading (1 Thes.5:16-24), Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. Though we do not find explicit reference to joy in the gospel (Jn 1:6-8,19-28) John the Baptist’s plea to make straight the way of the Lord is an emphatic declaration that sin and joy won’t go together and therefore people should confess their sins and undergo conversion.

Do our rituals and symbols produce real joy in our life? Is it not true that they do not match our reality. We profess that Christ comes to save us, but we don’t really believe that we need to be saved. Take the case of our anxieties. As theologian Paul Tillich says every human being labours under a triple anxiety: anxiety about one’s own existence, about the meaning of life and about guilt. Tillich calls these absolute anxieties because they exist in the heart of humanity.

It is a strange fact that we don’t worry much about absolutes. At the same time we are worried about a lot of relative anxieties like pain. We don’t want to think about death; but pain evokes general anxiety about death. Anxiety about the meaning of life exhibits itself in our frantic drive for identity, affirmation and relevance. Guilt anxiety is the basic realization that we can do evil but not undo it.

In this human condition, Advent is an invitation to trace a passing pain, a nagging worry, an uneasy conscience back to the source in the absolute anxieties of death, meaning and guilt. We might even discover that we do need to be saved. Not from anxiety, which is natural. But we need someone to transform death to resurrection, give meaning to our life, forgive our sins. Here comes the relevance of John the Baptist’s proclamation.

A News Event

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus,  help me to spread your good news with power and joy.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

A newspaper gives us news and also comments on news, which we call editorial. What about the good news we preach? The power of the good news which Jesus brought effects change with its full power when it is handled as a news event.

Professor and author Halford E. Luccock (1885-1960) often insisted that this fact should not be forgotten. “Christianity”, said Luccock, “did not come into the world through the editorial page; it came through the news columns. It was a news event - front page, stop-the-press news. Something happened: The word became flesh and dwelt among us. The gospel was first preached as news. Wherever it has been preached with power, it has been preached as news. Whenever it has dwindled down to mere advice, become merely editorial Christianity, it has evaporated in a cloud as vague as fog”. Preaching the good news with power, living under its message, guided by its truth, this is the challenge in which every Advent believer is to be renewed. Since it is good news, it must be communicated not only with power, but also with joy.

In the 1st reading of this Sunday (Is.40: 1-5, 9-11) we see prophet Isaiah proclaiming with joy the end of the exile and the exiles were able to look ahead to the future with hope. God would come for them and carry them home. Their path once almost impassable by sins would be made smooth and straight! (This was good news indeed).

The author of 2nd Peter proclaimed the gospel of God’s coming among us once more in the return of Jesus. That of course, is obvious good news: “the bad news”, if we dare to call it that, is that we must await that coming without the benefit of a timetable and we must maintain ourselves in holy preparedness during what seems like an interminable delay.

In today’s gospel, John the Baptist, Jesus’ own herald, appears as one who preached in word as well as in deed and lifestyle. John’s message is unmistakably clear and powerful. This was indeed the good news - the Saviour comes. His was also news that demanded change, change in the form of repentance, confession of sins, and baptism with water. Only change can free us from what holds us back from the fullness of life.