END OF THE WORLD

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help us to be more attentive to the ways of God here and now. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The last Sundays of each liturgical year invite our attention to the last things: the end of the world, death and judgment, reward and retribution. The intended purpose of this focus on the end time is to prepare us for the final reckoning and to make us more attentive to the ways of God here and now. Still some of us engage in undue worry and speculation as to the exact time, place and circumstances of the end.
In 960, Bernard, a visionary in Germany, announced that the world would end on Good Friday in 992. A century later, an astronomer named John of Toledo calculated that a major calamity would destroy the earth in September of 1186. A group of London astrologers speculated that the world would end by a flood in February 1524. The German astrologer and mathematician Johannes Soeffler supported that view and specified the date of destruction by flood as February 20, 1524. As a result, Count von Laggleheim ordered a three-story ark to be constructed for his family. When the rain began to fall on February 20, a panicky crowd trampled the Count to death while attempting to board his ark. The world did not end.
Charles Long of Pasadena, California, wrote a 70,000- word tract outlining the details of the end of the world which was to happen at 5.33 p.m. on Sept.21, 1945. But nothing happened. It seems that we human beings have a propensity for end-of-the world prophecies even when these are disproved time and time again. Let us learn the lesson given in today’s gospel, (Mk.13:24-32): “As for the exact day or hour of the end-time, no one knows it.”
Useless worry and speculation must give way to careful preparedness. That preparedness, as is given in the first reading from Daniel (12:1-3), consists in living wisely and justly in all we are, in all we do. That preparedness, according to Hebrews author (2nd reading, Heb.10:11-14,18) , also consists in trusting the power of Jesus’ saving sacrifice to forgive sins and to sanctify sinners. Victorious over sin and death, Jesus has gone on to God and to glory; there he waits to call us home at a time and in a place we do not know. No one knows. Hope and trust must wipe out worry; faith and fortitude must blot out fear. The attention that might have been given to the false predictors of the end must instead be given over to the words and wisdom of God.

INTERESTED IN VOCATIONS? Call Fr. Jose or visit http://www.vocationstoronto.ca/

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Sacrificial Giving

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, empower me to practice sacrificial giving. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Do you give from your surplus of your store? Another way to ask this is, do you offer your leftovers or the food you obtained for your main meal? In today’s Gospel (Mk 12:38-44), the widow in Jesus’ example contributed “her whole livelihood”, everything that she had. Even though her offering was financially less than that offered by the rich contributors, because she gave her livelihood and not her surplus, she offered more than the rest. Her offering is an example of sacrificial giving, giving the total gift of self out of love for another or in response to another’s need.

She has that in common with the widow of Zerepath in today’s first reading (1Kings 17:10-16). When asked to make a little cake for a guest, rather than use the last flour and water she had for her son and herself only, she is willing to give what she had planned for their main meal, their last meal. No leftovers here. What happens? She had enough for her, her son and her guest for a year! God blessed her willingness to give sacrificially out of love for the stranger, in response to the need of a traveller in a nomadic land, where travellers were dependent upon the kindness of strangers.

Do we practice sacrificial giving or surplus giving? An illustration can be given from the life of Jim, a Dominican missionary. He was in El Salvador in 1989 when the Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter were martyred. Jim was pastor to a parish that was built on a garbage dump. The parish served all who came, whether they were leftist or rightist, pro-government or anti-government, part of the system or part of the revolution. Parish members gave people Bibles and helped them reflect on the Gospel in ways that invited a change of life , so as to live the Gospel more clearly. The community also operated a clinic that served all who came, regardless of politics or religious conviction. These two activities made them subversive in the eyes of the military. As the pastor, Jim’s name appeared on the death list.

So Jim went to his people and asked: “What will help you more ? Would it be more helpful for me to stay here and die for you? Or would it be more helpful for me to go back to the States and let people know what’s really happening here”. The community discussed and prayed. They finally said, “Go back and let people know what's really happening and put pressure on your government to stop supporting ours until it really helps the poor and cares for all our citizens”. He was willing to give his all, either in death or in the risk of being caught. He gave from his store, giving his all not counting the cost, out of love for his people. He still witnesses to justice and peace today.

Sacrificial giving is what the gospel asks of us. Jesus, who offered his life once for all of us, empower us to give of our store, like the widow in the Gospel and the very food we have obtained for our meal, like the widow of Zerepath. May these examples of sacrificial giving help us affirm where we already give sacrificially or move us to change our ways of giving and living.

INTERESTED IN VOCATIONS> Call Fr. Jose or visit http://www.vocationstoronto.ca/

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Footprints of Saints

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, make us a community of hope following the footprints of saints. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. The word saint comes from the Latin word sanctus, which means “holy”. Literally, the word saint means “holy one”. It recalls God’s command to the chosen people: “Keep yourselves holy, because I am holy”. (Leviticus 11:44). Early Christians, like St. Paul referred to one another as “holy ones”, or “saints”. The New Testament uses the word over 60 times in this sense. With the passage of time, however, the word saint was reserved exclusively for those Christians who were martyred or who had lived lives of remarkable holiness. Today, the Church recognizes as “saints” thousands of men and women whose lives have mirrored, in a special way, the holiness of God. It is these people whom we honour today.

The scheduled readings for this Sunday are replaced with the traditional readings for All Saints. The 1st reading from the Book of Revelation (Rev.7:2-4, 9-14) contains two separate visions that John experiences. The first vision refers to a well-known number: 144,000. This number is the square of twelve (144), multiplied by one thousand (thus 144,000). Scholars think the number “twelve” may represent the historic twelve tribes of Israel, and the number “one thousand” may represent the universal scope of all people saved by Christ (i.e. the new Israel). The “seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God” represents the mark that will identify those to be saved (i.e. the elect) who have suffered for their faith in Christ. These are among the first generation of Christian Martyrs. The second vision is meant to encourage all those who were currently suffering persecution (the “great distress”) for their faith in Christ.

In the second reading (1Jn:1-3), the author John urges the recipients of his letter to be a community of “hope”, to be imitators of Christ, as “pure” as Christ himself.
The Gospel reading (Mt.5:1-12a) narrates the beatitudes, the new law issued by Jesus. They can also be seen as a list of qualities that defines a saint. As we listen to these beatitudes hopefully we find ourselves connecting to some of them. If we do, we can be assured we are showing others what it means to be a living saint.

INTERESTED IN VOCATIONS> Call Fr. Jose or visit http://www.vocationstoronto.ca/

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Sight and Insight

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, give me enough insight to understand that my call is to be faithful to you in all my life situations. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
“God has not called me to be successful. He has called me to be faithful” (Mother Teresa). This inspirational quote was printed on a memento when Mother Teresa died on September 5th 1997. May her mediation give us sight and insight in all our life situations.

Today’s gospel (Mk. 10:46-52) brings before us Bartimaeus, a blind man, so as to make us aware of our blindness. Jesus asked of Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” With no hesitation whatsoever, the reply came back, “I want to see”. This blind man challenges us to take our place beside him and make his request our own; “I want to see!”.

Some may be tempted to advise, “Be careful what you wish (pray) for”. When believers open themselves in faith to the power of God, new sight and insight will surely come – and so also will come responsibilities and challenges, all of which will make demands on our time and talent and treasure. Therefore, real courage is needed to allow the prayer of Bartimaeus to find its voice in our lives: “I want to see!”.

In an excellent essay on the experience of Bartimaeus William J. Bausch suggests that those who have both daring and courage to pray, “I want to see”, should be prepared to see three things. First, we would want to see that the most important thing in life is relationships. Many of us sacrifice our relationships for careers, jobs, entertainment, power, success and the like. We don’t spend time together; we don’t eat together… and for what?

Another sight or insight that might be granted us when we pray, “I want to see”, is the ability to recognize those we may otherwise have “overlooked”: e.g., the poor, the hungry, the downtrodden, etc. We may have deemed it easier not to see a problem that needs attention, e.g., gambling, drugs, alcohol, sex addiction, etc.

A third realm of sight and insight that might come into clearer focus if we pray, sincerely, “I want to see” is the manner in which God’s love can and should be perceived in our lives. God’s love can be evidenced in the kindness of strangers, in the support of family and friends, in the beauties and wonders of the universe. For those who would see, the manifestation of God is everywhere, in everyone, in everything, in you, in me.

INTERESTED IN VOCATIONS> Call Fr. Jose or visit http://www.vocationstoronto.ca/

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God-given Mission

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help us give ourselves fully and freely to the God-given mission and become your witnesses. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Go west young man and make the country grow!” Thus read the title of an 1881 editorial by John B. L. Soule that was first published in the Terre Haute Express. Taking those words to heart, many made their way into the American West. Some travelled by wagon train, others opted for the stagecoach. The stagecoach companies sold three different classes of tickets: first, second and third class. First and second-class ticket holders retained the right to remain seated during the entire trip. Third-class ticket holders were held responsible for helping to fix a problem like pushing or pulling a stuck wagon.

With this colourful bit of history in mind, we turn to today’s Gospel (Mk 10:35-45). Jesus and his disciples are also travelling, not west, but from Caesarea Phillipi in the north to Jerusalem in the south. On their way, Jesus has been instructing his disciples in the blessings as well as the rigors of discipleship. He has been frank, speaking more of service and suffering less of power and prestige. Jesus will repeatedly (three times) allude to the inevitable conflict and struggle he would face in fulfilling his God-given mission. It would appear that he saw his role as more comparable to the Isaian servant whose innocent and vicarious suffering for sinners is so graphically depicted in today’s first reading (Is 53:10-11). Nevertheless, the disciples remain without full understanding as is reflected in the request made by James and John, Zebedee’s sons. In essence, they asked Jesus for the privilege of travelling with him holding first class tickets and enjoying the privileges thereof.

By expressing their wish to be seated at Jesus right and left, it would also appear that the two sons of Zebedee presumed that Jesus, too, was riding first-class into glory. They misunderstand what it means to share Jesus’ cup and bath (baptism); thinking of these as a sharing in his kingdom, they are full of confidence. “We can!” they offer excitedly. How many of us are similarly unaware and uninformed regarding the cost of discipleship? We start out well, with the enthusiasm of first-class ticket holders. Yet when the cup turns bitter and the bath becomes an immersion in sacrifice… when our third-class ticket status requires that we give up our seats and plunge wholeheartedly into fixing what needs to be fixed, mending what is broken and reconciling that which has become alienated, we balk.

INTERESTED IN VOCATIONS> Call Fr. Jose or visit http://www.vocationstoronto.ca/

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Daring Wisdom

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help us attach ourselves to you as if to a lifeboat in a stormy sea.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Once upon a time, long long ago, two men lived in an arid land. Nothing grew there except cactus, lizards and sand fleas. Growing weary of being so thirsty, they decided to travel to Niagara Falls. Upon their arrival, they discovered water thundering down in abundance. Overjoyed at such a discovery, one of the men collected water in bottles and decided to come again every six months. The other man didn’t go back, but built a house by the river.
Which of the two men showed himself to be truly wise, wise in the ilk of a Solomon (Wis 7:7-11) or wise in the manner of a Jesus (Mk 10:17-30)? With which of these two men would you identify? Whose lead would you follow? Probably only a few of us would dare to admit that we might choose to go back to life in the desert and rely on the occasional visit to the river and the falls. Would we dare risk our sure base of security? Would we chance the loss of everything?
But this is precisely the choice put before would-be disciples by Jesus in today’s Gospel. Represented by the man who ran up to Jesus to ask about a share in everlasting life, the disciples’ choice is clear: One could continue to remain at the status quo keeping the rules that had been one’s guide since childhood, viz., not killing, not committing adultery, not stealing, not lying or defrauding and honouring one’s parents. There is a certain comfort level here and one that can be attained with a modicum of faithfulness and perseverance . After all, these are the rules of an honourable life and there is obvious virtue and a certain wisdom in living one’s life within these parameters.
Nevertheless, Jesus’ word to the man who ran to him and to every would-be disciple cuts the willing listeners to the quick. Like a two-edged sword (Heb 4:12-13) that penetrates and divides soul and spirit, joint and marrow, the words of Jesus lay bare and expose the heart and mind of the disciple. While Jesus’ words are always spoken in love (Mk 10:21), they are not without their challenge. Come away from your comfort zone and from the satisfaction of your adeptness in keeping the law, Jesus says. Come away from knowing what you are to do, when to do it and why. Come away from the safe harbour of familiar rules and obligations.
Let go of what you have stored against a rainy day, your secured savings. Let go of what makes you feel invulnerable and prepared to face any and all exigencies and emergencies. Come away challenges Jesus. Let go, he invites. Then come and follow me. Attach yourself to me as if to a lifeboat on a stormy sea.

INTERESTED IN VOCATIONS> Call Fr. Jose or visit http://www.vocationstoronto.ca/

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The Garden of Marriage

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help us pull out the weeds in the garden of marriage and nurture self-giving love, the love that calls for compromise  Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The readings of this week focus on the foundational relationship of all families: the partnership between a husband and a wife.

The first reading from Genesis (2:18-24) presents God’s search of “suitable partnership” for Adam. This Genesis creation story presents the interesting notion that it takes two attempts to find “suitable partnership” for man. God begins the process of finding a partner for Adam with the animal kingdom. This seems like a logical place to find a partnership for Adam since both man and “the wild animals and various birds” were created out of the same substance: “out of the ground” (compare Gen. 2:7 and 2:19). And in Adam naming the animals, he would know them intimately (This speaks to the widespread ancient belief that naming something gives you intimate knowledge of that which you name.) Curiously, “none proved to be suitable partners for man”. So God attempts to find suitable partnership for Adam by using another strategy. And this one proves effective: God finds suitable partnership for Adam not out of ground from which he himself was created but rather through Adam’s own body. God puts man to sleep and builds from his “side” (a more accurate translation than “rib”) a new creation. It is the sharing of flesh and bone that united man and woman. Now the man names this new creation “woman” and together they find “suitable partnership” in their ‘clinging’ to one another.

As the Genesis story tells us, the process of God searching and finding suitable partnership for man was not without its challenges. It took hard work and tenacity even by God himself. Perhaps this is why Jesus is so insistent in today’s Gospel reading (Mk 10:2-16) that “what God has joined together, no human being must separate”. Jesus insisted that not only prohibition of husband divorcing his wife but also a wife divorcing her husband.

The second reading (Heb 2:9-11) connects to this notion of partnership between man and woman in a profound way. But here it is not partnership between man and woman in terms of flesh and bone; here it is partnership between the human and the divine in terms of suffering and death. Hebrews teaches us that in Jesus’ suffering and death the human and the divine have found “suitable partnership”.

MATRIMONY A BEAUTIFUL VOCATION Matrimony ‑ a beautiful vocation so misused today. Celibacy ‑ a beautiful gift so misunderstood today. Whether we do God’s work in pairs or as a single person in ministry or in a community, we do God’s work because He calls us. If you feel God is calling you to a Church vocation, call Fr. Jose or visit http://www.vocationstoronto.ca/

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