Unless Wheat Dies

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help us to die to our own will and offer our lives to you for whatever use you wish to make of them.  Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today’s scriptural texts give us a few images to feed our faith. In the Gospel (Jn 12:20-33), Jesus will offer the image of the grain of wheat falling to earth to die so as to produce much fruit. Anyone who has ever planted a seed can envision its seeming lifelessness as it is buried in the earth. But after a certain time a green sprout appears, announcing life where once there seemed to be only death. This surprising announcement of life also provides an apt image for Jesus who, as an obedient Son, suffered, died and was buried so as to become the source of our life and salvation (Hebrews 5:7-9, 2nd reading).

The dying seed image is also complemented by the Gospel’s second image, that of the Son of Man being lifted up in suffering and in glory and thereby drawing all of sinful humankind to himself and to God. In today’s 1st reading (Jer 31:31-34), the prophet Jeremiah describes the drawing together and reconciliation of God and sinners in terms of a new and everlasting covenant. Where once the covenants between God and Israel evoked images of sacrificial animal, sprinkled blood, and stone tablets, the new covenant would, insisted Jeremiah, be written in the hearts of the faithful people by a loving God. Six centuries after this covenant was promised, it was realised through Jesus’ sacrificial death and continues to bind to God all who believe.

These images teach us that we must be willing to die to our own will if we wish to bear fruit for God. Concretely what does all this mean for us in everyday life? Consider some possibilities. Suppose our marriage is falling apart and we need outside help but are too proud to ask for it. Dying to our own will means dying to our pride and asking for help. Or suppose close friends tell us we are developing a drinking problem but we keep denying it, in spite of mounting evidence. Dying to our will means admitting our problem and seeking medical help. Suppose a friend or a family member has hurt us in some way and we are holding a grudge against him or her. Dying to our will means forgiving that person from the heart and treating him or her with love once again. Dying to our will is not easy. Even Jesus didn’t find it easy to agree to do whatever his Father wanted him to do. But he trusted God and put himself in his hands. The good news in today’s readings is that we can do the same.

Covenantal Journey

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help us experience eternal life as we journey in our covenantal relationship with God. Amen.

 

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

For the first three Sundays of Lent we have been hearing about the covenants that God established with Noah, Abraham and Moses. The covenant with Noah was simply an unconditional promise from God never again to flood the earth with waters that destroy all life. The covenant with Abraham was conditional but only between God and Abraham. By Abraham trusting and obeying God’s command, God promised blessings on Abraham and his descendents. The covenant with Moses was also conditional. But this time not just between God and Moses. This covenantal promise to make Israel a holy and great nation was dependent upon the Israelite people following the Law that God gave to Moses in the form of the 10 commandments. The covenantal promises evolve from unconditional to conditional, from one person to an entire nation. Each successive covenant called Israel into a deeper and more committed relationship with God.

These readings during Lent reflect the historical journey between God and Israel. It is a journey each of us mirrors in our own Lenten journey with God. As we journey in our covenantal relationship with God we too are called to a deeper and more committed relationship with God.

The readings for this 4th Sunday of Lent break from the pattern of discussing a specific covenant that God established with ancient Israel. The pattern is broken in order to highlight an important moment in Israel's historic covenantal journey with God. Today’s 1st reading (2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23) narrates the circumstances that led God to force Israel into Babylonian captivity in the 6th century B.C. Israel had broken the terms of the Mosaic covenant that God established with her ancestors. Israel was no longer a holy and separate nation. While God sent Israel into Babylonian captivity, it was only for 70 years. Then God gave rise to the King Cyrus of the Persian Empire who released Israel from their Babylonian captors and returned Israel to her promised land.

As Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians (2nd reading, Ephesians 2:4-10), Israel had become “dead in our transgressions”. But “God who is rich in mercy… brought us to life with Christ.” The story of Israel’s journey with God is our story. We too stumble on our journey with God and on our journey through Lent. But we are assured in the knowledge that “God loved the world that he gave his only Son” so that we would have “eternal life” (Gospel, John 3:14-21).

Sunday Mass and Sacrificial Offering

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help me become a sharer in your self giving through the sacrificial offering I give during the Sunday Mass.  Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In today’s gospel (Jn 2: 13 -25) we see Jesus cleansing the temple driving out those who made his Father’s house a market place. This event should prompt us to check the motives behind our Sunday worship. Have we come to church to fulfill an obligation, to ask God for something, to complain to God? Or, have we come to our Father’s house: First, to give praise and glory to our God, the Father? Second, to meet Jesus in the community of believers, the readings of Scriptures, and the sacrificial meal of the Lord’s supper? Third, because there is in us a spiritual hunger and thirst that only God’s spirit can fill.

When our motives behind Sunday worship are purified, our offering during mass makes sense. It can then be rightly called ‘sacrificial offering’ because it is based on the understanding of the sacrificial element in Jesus’ offering of himself and then we add our own sacrifice to that offering, something like the widow’s offering of her ‘two coins’, not from her abundance, but from her sustenance.

Sacrificial offering in our church is unique, because we don’t have a church building of our own. We are like Jesus who didn’t have a place to lay his head. We can be proud of resembling Jesus who gave importance to relationships rather than to rituals. Our church is a church of relationships. Thanks to the intimacy with God through your sacrificial offering, the needs of our church are met. I am happy to note that even in your difficult financial situation you were generous enough to support our parish. Our church is growing day by day. More children and youngsters are coming to our church. The 1pm mass on first Sunday of every month has a special focus on children and youth. Their involvement in the mass is becoming impressive. The role played by Legion of Mary in bringing up children as altar servers is praiseworthy. I hope that as our Knights of Columbus grow they can have a presence in every Sunday mass as ushers. The digital projector bought by your contribution has become a valuable tool in the effective dissemination of Word of God, catechesis and in our weekly scripture classes. Sincere thanks to all for your cooperation. May the good Lord bless us in our journey from Ashes to Easter.

Jesus Effect

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help me face the ups and downs of glory and humiliation in such a way as to radiate “Jesus effect”. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In 1999 a book came out with the title, “The Nicholas Effect: A Boy’s Gift to the World”. In that book, author Reg Green was narrating the wonderful effect his son Nicholas aged 7 could make in the world. While the whole family set out from California to Italy to spend their holidays there, there was never a thought that they would have to face a big crisis in life. Armed thieves, attempting to take the family’s car and valuables, waited in ambush in the Italian countryside. As the car passed, thieves sprayed a shower of bullets at the vehicle. Although the family was able to escape, some of the bullets had hit the young boy, while he slept in the back seat. A short time later, the child was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The boy’s family arranged that all of their son’s vital organs be donated. As a result, the lives of eight Italians were forever changed. For some it meant being able to see again; for others death was postponed because a young vital organ had replaced an aged, defective one. Because organ donation was such a rarity in Italy, the gift of life was all the more remarkable. Following the lead of the Green family, countless numbers of Italians and others world-wide began to donate the organs of deceased loved ones so that others might live.

The story of the young boy and the aftermath of his death remind us of another time and place and the death of another son, whose dying brought life to so many. It is the life-giving death of the other son, viz., Jesus, which is the focus of our scripture readings for today.

The moving narrative of Abraham and Isaac that comprises today’s first reading (Genesis) has been understood as an Old Testament type or prefigurement of God’s willingness to offer Jesus as a sacrifice for human sin. Paul, in the second reading (Romans 8:31-34) reminds us that God’s love has no limits. God has given the greatest gift of all to the world in the handing over of Jesus. In today’s gospel (Mk 9:2-10), the transfiguration scene features a voice speaking from an overshadowing cloud. Identifying Jesus as God’s beloved son, the voice further asks the disciples to listen to him. As the gospel is proclaimed today, the voice instructs believers to listen to the words and works of Jesus, and to find therein the message of life and salvation.

Reform and Believe

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help me rediscover the peace and power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Keeping the joy of resurrection in focus, let us begin our Lenten journey. The gospel of this First Sunday of Lent (Mk.1:12-15) presents before us two of the bywords that dictate the atmosphere of Lent: reform (or repent) and believe. This is the programme for the season; this sets the tenor for the life of the committed disciple of Jesus.

“To reform” means to recognize the evil in our lives and to turn our back on it. It means to face up to sin in our lives and to turn away from it. For example, we are aware of selfishness that puts our comfort ahead of others’ needs. We are aware of pride that keeps us from admitting our faults. We are aware of laziness that keeps us from helping others. “To reform” means to face up to these evil tendencies in our lives and to do something about them.

Besides reforming our lives, Jesus tells us to “believe in the gospel”. This means to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came to save us. It means to seek out Jesus, especially in the sacrament of Reconciliation, and to receive from Him forgiveness and healing. Author Kilian McDonnell says, “No man will celebrate the mystery of Christ in joy if he does not first recognize in sorrow that he is a sinner.” Today’s gospel invitation touches on both of those important points. It invites us to admit we are sinners, and to turn to Jesus for salvation.

Today’s gospel invitation makes a perfect introduction to Lent. Down through the centuries Christians have found the season of Lent to be a time of special grace, especially for reforming one’s life. If we are looking for a special way to celebrate Lent this year, we could do no better than to use it as an opportunity to rediscover the peace and power of the sacrament of Reconciliation. For in this Sacrament we do what Jesus invites us to do in today’s gospel. We acknowledge our sinfulness and accept Him as our personal saviour.