Liturgy of our Lives

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

My Dear Brothers and Sisters:
We are standing together on the threshold of a liturgical year now ending and another soon to begin. When endings mesh with beginnings, it seems only natural to look over our shoulders at what has transpired in our lives. As we take truthful inventory and determine the measure of who we are, it also seems appropriate that we gather up all that we are and offer it to God as the liturgy of our lives. But just what constitutes that liturgy? How do our lives come together to celebrate the One whose kingship we acknowledge today? What sacrifice have we to offer to the Lord of all life, whose own sacrifice has opened the way to life everlasting for us (1Cor15:20-26,28 2nd reading)?

Centuries ago, the prophets posed similar questions to God on behalf of their contemporaries. How could they make of their lives a liturgy worthy of the character of the God who called them into being? What had they to offer in prayerful thanksgiving and worshipful praise to the God who promised to be their shepherd, rescuing them when they were scattered, bringing them home when they strayed, binding and healing their wounds and giving them a protected rest (Ezek 34:11-12, 15-17, 1st reading)? God’s answer to the prophets’ questioning was challenging as it was simple: “Do justice; love tenderly; walk in truth with God.” In this challenge lies the whole of the law and the prophets; in this challenge lie the seeds of a life-liturgy worthy of God.
In today’s Gospel (Mt 25:34-46), Jesus teaches us the words and the gestures, the symbols and the rituals to the life-liturgy that best acknowledges, thanks, loves and praises God: “I was hungry; you gave me food. I was thirsty; you gave me drink. I was a stranger; you welcomed me. I was in prison; you came to visit me.” These are the prayers of the true-life liturgy without which no other liturgy in church has meaning. If the hungry are not fed, the naked are not clothed, etc., then we have failed to recognize and tend the God who lives among us in these least ones. If the thirsty are not offered drink and the ill and the imprisoned are not visited and cared for, then even when two or three gather, the promised presence of Christ will be lost to us.

If and when we do take the Gospel challenge seriously, let us not think of what we are doing as charity. Let us realize that we are merely beginning to meet the demands of justice, a justice by which we accept to live when we agree to love tenderly and walk in truth with God.

Be Gift and Grace for Others

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Do you remember Shel Silverstein’s parable The Giving Tree (Harper and Row Publishers, New York:1964)? “Once there was a tree”, it begins, “and she loved a little boy.” Regularly from the boy’s childhood to his teen years to his adulthood, he came to the tree. When he was a child, he came to climb her trunk, eat her apples and swing from her branches. And the tree was happy. As he matured, his requests for the tree’s particular gifts and talents became more insistent, more costly. First, when the boy needed money she gave her apples to sell, and she was happy. When he needed a home, she gave her branches; when he wanted to get away from it all, she happily gave her trunk for a boat. At long last, the boy who was an old man by now, came back to the tree, who was no more than an old stump. Since all the man wanted now was a place to sit and rest, the tree offered her stump to him. And the tree was happy.

Like Jesus in today’s Gospel (Mt 25:14-30), Silverstein told a parable that captured the essence of what it means to acknowledge our gifts and talents and to place them freely and fully at the service of others. Such generosity with oneself requires the type of risk-taking, that is exemplified in the first two servants in the parable of the talents. Each dared to risk investing all that had been entrusted him by his employer. Neither held back anything even though worldly prudence may have dictated for him to do so. From these risk-taking servants, and from the giving tree, we learn that all comes to us from God as a gift; therefore all should be given as gift, without judging the worthiness of the recipient and with full awareness that what we give may be misused, undervalued or even abused.

In contrast to the two daring servants and the utterly selfless tree, the third servant chose what he thought to be the safe path. He did not risk, he did not give, and in the end even that which had been entrusted to him was rescinded. So it goes with those who refuse to spend their God-given selves, their time, their talent or their treasure for the sake of the kingdom. These may, in the end retain what they have, but what good shall a treasure be that cannot traverse the final passage we know as death?

Today, the parable continues to speak its message, assuring us that we are both gifted and graced, and in that capacity we are to be both gift and grace for others…even if we are only an old stump where another can find rest.

Tomorrow or Today?

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Are you a procrastinator? Is it your habit to put off until another time what could be done today? Think of the tragic story of some of the recent victims of hurricanes. In New Orleans repairs to the levy were delayed year after year. In Florida some residents delayed their evacuation because the hurricane wasn’t that intense and when the hurricane gained strength the roads were blocked and it was too late to leave.

Physician and evolutionist Thomas Hurley (Technical Education, 1881) insisted that the “most valuable result of all education and training is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not. It is the first lesson that ought to be learned, yet, however early a man’s training begins, it is probably the last lesson he learns thoroughly”. Too many people relegate the day of reckoning to the far-off future; they think that for now we can forget about the accounting we will be expected to render at the end of time.

Sometimes, some of us are shaken out of what has become a habit of procrastination by a struggle that befalls us or someone dear to us. Cancer strikes, or Alzheimer’s or a stroke or a heat attack, and all of a sudden priorities shift, perspective sharpens and things long put off begin to get done. Suddenly time has become a precious commodity and no longer something to waste. But rather than wait for some hardship or tragedy to set our spiritual gears in motion, the church, in its wisdom, offers us an annual jolt.

Paul, in his correspondence with the Thessalonians (2nd reading, 1 Thess 4:13-18), reminds his readers that our readiness should be characterized by hope and mutual consolation. We need not worry unduly as some of Paul’s Greek converts tended to do. Authentic faith and a vital hope should preclude such a misuse of time, energy and emotion; better to be given over to seeking and being found by wisdom (1st reading, Wis 6:12-16). Those who find her find God; those who find God find themselves free from care, full of hope and prepared for all the knowns and unknowns of life.

With Paul and the author of Wisdom to inspire us, let us learn once again the lesson of the bridesmaids. (Gospel, Mt 25:1-13). Instead of procrastinating and finding ourselves unready to welcome the returning Jesus, let us live prepared to meet him anytime, anywhere and in whatever manner of encounter he may choose.

The Reign of Love

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

This week I should call your attention to a cardboard box titled “Mother Teresa’s Luggage”. Under that is a quote from this saintly person: “People are not hungry for bread, they are hungry for love. People are not naked only for a piece of cloth; they are naked for that human dignity. People are not only homeless for a room made of bricks; but they are homeless – being rejected, unwanted, unloved. Jesus says: ‘Love as I have loved you; I have wanted you. I have loved you and you love, as I have loved you’”

I always thought that Mother Teresa understood well the Kingdom that Jesus talked about, a reign of love and not power, of compassion and not competition, of equality and not hierarchy. This simple nun wrapped in the arms of God’s love, charmed the earth with her velvet hammer, strategizing for the poor and the dying, and allowing the world to realize the reign of God in its midst.

In today’s Gospel (Mt 23:1-12) we find Jesus shifting the locus of authority from a top-down mentality and moving authority and leadership to the realm of servanthood. “The greatest among you must be your servant.” Looking for status, places of honour, praise, and titles is not part of the profile for the Baptized. Sitting at the right and left hand of God in the Kingdom is not the focus… rather, it is suffering and servanthood. The worldview of Kingdom living would be radically changing… images of longer phylacteries and impressive tassels, seeking honour at banquets and in synagogues… these cannot be central to the disciple.

In the light of the 1st reading from the prophet Malachi (1:14-2;2,8-10), who asks of the religious leadership impeccable responsibility, it would be tempting to point fingers and push hard against hierarchical structures. But perhaps better is to invite all those who lead within the church to lead with the maternal insight of Paul: We are gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children… night and day we worked among you so that we would not be a burden to you while we proclaimed the Gospel of God (2nd reading 1Thes 2:7-9).
It is the pastoral response of love which Jesus asks of leadership: not to lay upon people burdens too hard to carry, not to put more emphasis upon position and places of honour at banquets, or title, but upon service. Mother Teresa’s cardboard box symbolizes that simplicity of leadership and humility for me.

Summons to Love

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

This Sunday we observe as World Mission Sunday and it calls us to put the summons to love God and neighbour into practice. The building up of God’s reign of love is the mission we are urged to adopt today and every day. The scripture readings of today illustrate this mission, and to me, they are the basis of Catholic Social Teaching.

In the first reading from the Book of Exodus (22:20-26) the Lord is very adamant on how we are to treat others who are less fortunate than ourselves. The law of fraternal charity, our obligation to our neighbour, was imposed by God on the Israelites from their very beginning as people. For many years they did practice this law, and it was rather easy for them since they lived among themselves. It wasn’t until they encountered pagans, those whose religious beliefs were far different from theirs, that they strayed from God’s law and treated the pagans with much disrespect and contempt. They considered themselves as God’s chosen people and did not realize God’s merciful condescension in legislating for all of humankind who need help and protection. The Lord tells – “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall not abuse any widow or orphan….And if your neighbour cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate.” God’s word applies to us in this day as well as it did to the Israelites in theirs.

In the 2nd reading Paul speaks to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:5-10) of the good example they are setting in leading truly Christian lives. In the Gospel (Mt 22:34-40) we find Jesus laying down the complete definition of religion. Religion consists in loving God. It is love of God first, and love of humankind second. But in his teaching Jesus made them equal and interdependent. It is only when we love God that humanity becomes lovable. In Genesis 1:26 God said – “And now we will make human beings, they will be like us and resemble us”. It is for this reason that humankind is lovable. Take away the love of God and we can become angry at others for many reasons. The love of humankind in firmly grounded in the love of God.

To be truly religious is to love God and to love the people made in God’s own image, with total commitment in devotion to God.

Total Gift, Total Belonging

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but give to God what is God’s” (Mt 22:21). Traditionally, this text has been cited to support the concept of separation of church and state. This text has prompted many discussions and much controversy as to the extent of the church’s involvement in the political process. This text has been favourably used to highlight the responsibilities Christians have to be salt and light and leaven in the world. The challenge is maintaining one’s equilibrium without absenting oneself from any aspect of the human experience. Here the role model is Jesus himself who engaged and sanctified the secular world by the sacredness of his presence and involvement. Jesus remains to teach and guide, prompting us to similar transforming involvement with all the created universe.

Less traditional but more popular over the last several decades has been the appreciation of this text to the Christian duty of stewardship. Beleaguered pastors or financial administrators may seize on Jesus’ words as an opportunity to press for money. Caesar, i.e. the state, may tax the cheque book or bank account, they may plead, but let us not forget the tithe that is rightly God’s.

“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s” was indeed a challenge requiring an occupied populace to pay tribute to their occupiers. Nevertheless, it is Jesus second exhortation, “Give to God what is God’s” that constitutes the greater challenge. Such giving or stewardship before God is never limited solely to money. Rather, this quality of stewardship offers as gift all that we are and all that we have. Indeed, stewardship before God involves everything and everyone God has provided, including the earth and all its peoples. Understood in this way, giving to God would necessarily begin with a rededication to God all we are, all we say, all we do, all we choose, all we become. Whereas popular etiquette may regard a 10 percent tribute or tithe as sufficient, those who are God’s will settle for offering nothing less than 100%: total gift, total belonging.

This absolute belonging to God will necessarily preclude our being given over in anyway to immorality, dishonesty, injustice or any other word or work that would desecrate the gift that we are. This absolute belonging will also involve the gift of all that we have to God – time, talent and treasure – because when the gift of self is primary, all else follows naturally. Give to God, therefore, all that is God’s.

Celebration of Eucharist with Symbols

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

What do you think of celebrating this Sunday’s liturgy having two banners depicting a vineyard on either side of the church. Today’s readings present us with a fine example of the power of a good symbol. In the 1st reading from Isaiah (Is 5:1-7), the prophet uses the image of the vineyard to speak about the state of God’s people, who had not been producing good fruit for the Lord. Jesus picks up the same image to speak about his own experience of being rejected by the leaders of the Jewish people. And as we read that in today’s Gospel passage (Mt 21:33-43), we rightly hear it as a warning to our own time that God expects us to produce good fruit, too.
The image of the vineyard is clearly a symbol in these passages. Like all symbols, it has more than one simple meaning. Notice that the parables in the two readings, though similar, differ in significant ways. In the 1st reading, the vineyard is destroyed because it produced wild grapes. In the Gospel the tenants (chief priests and elders) are destroyed, the vineyard is given to other tenants (Gentiles). In the first reading, the challenge is to all of Judah. In the Gospel the challenge is to the Jewish leaders who oppose Jesus and his mission.
It is this multivalence, this ability to carry many levels of meaning, that distinguishes a true symbol from a mere sign. Symbols are rich carriers of meaning, allowing people to enter into them and draw from them a variety of insights and meanings.
Since good liturgy relies on symbols, we have to make ourselves aware of tapping the power of symbols. For an effective participation in liturgy, sometimes a theme is chosen and the whole liturgy is based on that. Though this is a good practice in itself, the use of symbols in liturgy may serve the purpose better. The problem with a theme, at least one narrowly conceived, is that it attempts to make the liturgy say one thing to everybody. Good use of symbols, by contrast, invites us to engage the symbols in a context of mystery. This means that different people may draw very different meanings from the symbol, as the Holy Spirit touches the minds and hearts of each member of the worshiping community.
The liturgy does have its own dynamic and demands, but it also must remain open enough for the wide variety of people who celebrate it to enter into with their own backgrounds and abilities. That’s what good symbols allow.