Listening to God’s Voice

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, free us from within by our connection with God’s word and lead us to understanding, insight and faith. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It may be both helpful and challenging to take our cue for this week’s reflection from today’s responsorial psalm (Ps. 95). In an appeal to the praying assembly to hear and heed the word of God as it is spoken through prophets like Moses (Deu. 18:15-20, 1st reading), through apostles like Paul (1Cor. 7:17,32-35, 2nd reading), and through Jesus (Mk. 1:21-28, Gospel), the psalmist prays “If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.”

As we analyse the above statement, we are made aware that God continues to speak, even today, in a variety of ways and through a variety of venues. Our ancestors in the faith stood in awe before God’s word. They sensed its power, its wisdom, its nearness. God’s word was connected to everything that happens in a day, in a lifetime. The author of Deuteronomy gave voice to this connection: “and these words I command you today shall be in your heart… teach them to your children… talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and gates” (6:6-9).

Nothing is left out here. The word is connected to sitting, walking, to lying down and rising up. It is on our hand, between our eyes; it marks our comings and goings. To understand how connected we must be to God’s word, recall the experience of Helen Keller. Blind, deaf and mute and locked inside herself, she was given to frequent bouts of rage and frustration. Relief and freedom came to Helen in the person of her teacher, Annie Sullivan. One day, as teacher and pupil were at the water pump, Sullivan held Keller’s hand under the flowing water and tapped into it the sign for water. Water, Word. Suddenly, Helen’s face shone with understanding. The water connected with the word. That sign, that tapping, it means this wet, flowing, cool stuff in my hand!

There is another, even greater connection when the word that is tapped into our hands and hearts and lives is the word we call God’s word. When the word that is spoken and heard in liturgy, hymn, psalm or prayer, these divinely inspired human words stammer a connection between people and God. These are human words, yet we understand them to be claimed by divine power. These words connect us to God, and when that connection is made, their lives are changed. Like Helen Keller, freed from within by the connection of water and word, so does our connection with God’s word bring about understanding, insight, freedom and faith.

Call and Repentance

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help us repent and reform our lives so as to bring all the churches together to a new orientation. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

At the end of this week for Christian Unity, the readings invite our attention to two categories of missionaries. In the first reading (Jonah 3:1-5, 10), we get the picture of an unwilling missionary in the person of Jonah the prophet. In the gospel (Mk.1:14-20) we come across Simon, Andrew, James and John as ready-to-do missionaries. In which category do we classify us?

Though we may speak of prophet Jonah as an unwilling missionary who accepted his mission only after some powerful prompting and legendary marine adventure, if we were to look into the historical background, we would probably have sympathy for him and might see a reflection of our lesser selves in him. Jonah hated the Assyrians (Nineveh was their capital city) because of the cruelty of their evil doings. Assyria waged numerous military campaigns west of the Eupharates in order to search out and seize prized timber, minerals and new commercial opportunities. Those who would not submit to their advances were subjected to unspeakable acts of butchery. To ensure that their westward conquests would be permanent, the Assyrians engaged in the wholesale relocation of the conquered people. This had been the fate of Israel in 722 B.C. Is it any wonder that Jonah was revolted by the very thought of exercising a ministry on their behalf? Can’t we readily understand his desire to die rather than lift a finger or speak a word that might prove helpful to his enemies? As we join Jonah, allowing hostility toward the Assyrians, (and all such political bullies) to well up in our hearts, the sacred word offers us a surprising lesson. Even sinners as profligate as the Assyrians, can change and when they do, God forgives.

Called by God, missionaries of the good news of salvation are also empowered by God, and God who can make the weak strong, is the great guarantor of their mission. Considering our own missionary efforts in the service of the gospel, we will probably find ourselves somewhere in between the absolute refusal of Jonah and the rapid response of Peter, Andrew, James and John. Our challenge will lie in relying on God.

Call and Response

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Infant Jesus, make me respond to your call, listening to your voice in the poor and the sick. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

God’s call can come to us at any moment, in any place and in any circumstance. Samuel’s dramatic call to service, as narrated in today’s first reading (1 Sam. 3:3b-10,19) is an example of that. Just as Eli mentored Samuel on his way, so may we need assistance in understanding and responding to God’s call.

In the 2nd reading (1Cor.6:13-15,17-20) Paul talks about some of the responsibilities inherent in the privilege of Christian vocation. Called by God, and baptized into the life of Jesus and the church, believers thereby become temples where the Holy Spirit comes to take up permanent residence. The privilege of becoming a sacred place, a sacred person, requires that the believer live accordingly.

The gospel (Jn:35-42) gives us the vocation experiences of the first disciples. Those who are called by God are called to a life of seeking and searching for God’s will and God’s ways. Those willing to risk and venture into the unknown will, however, find a home in Him. Notice how the evangelist describes the evolution of a vocation. (1) Someone points the way (John the Baptist witnesses to Jesus); (2) the motives of those called are questioned (“what are you looking for?”); (3) those called admit of their desire for belonging (“Rabbi, where do you stay?”); (4) the challenge of commitment is issued (“come and see”); (5) in their response to that challenge, those called also accept to live accordingly to a new reality (“your name will be Peter”) and within the embrace of a new relationship (“they stayed with him”); (6) having become aware of the gracious gift of vocation those called then reach out to share the joy of that experience with others (“he sought out his brother to tell him, we have found the Messiah”)

In our individual and communal mindsets, we regard the vocations of prophets, apostles, priests, nuns, etc. as special calls. Prompted by the renewal of the Second Vatican Council, we have come to understand that the gift of vocation is an experience afforded by God, not just to a special few, but to all. Indeed all are called by God, all are invited to respond to God and to make their entire life’s work a necessary and integral part of their response to God.

Baptism and the Mission

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, empower me for the mission you gave me in baptism. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Christmas season is coming to a close this Sunday with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord. This gives us an opportunity to celebrate the gift of our own sacramental baptism. Celebrating our baptism is to be marked by a renewed resolve to embrace the mission that has become ours by virtue of our baptism into the life of Jesus and the church.

Most of us can readily recall the date of our birth as well as the birthdays of relatives and friends. Some among us also remember and celebrate feast days, i.e. the calendar date given over to honouring our patron saint. But how many of us set aside the date of our baptism for special remembrance and festivities?

Author and theologian Mark Searle (Christening: The Making of Christians, 1980) would have us mindful of the fact that for many centuries the Roman church observed the custom of celebrating the anniversary of baptism. Searle likened the day to a sort of “class reunion” for the baptized, their sponsors and the bishop. They celebrated the Eucharist together on what might be called their Christian birthday. Searle also suggested that anyone trying to rediscover the traditions related to the celebrations of Christian initiation would feel like reviving the annual celebrations of Christian baptism. In the meantime, we have this feast of Jesus’ baptism to remind us of our own.

Regarding the importance of Christian’s sacramental initiation, Raymond E. Brown once said, “The day a person is baptized is more important even than the day when a person is ordained priest or bishop.” Indeed, these other consecrations derive from and depend upon the grace that is conferred and begins to grow in the believer at his/her baptism. The Second Vatican Council declared “Through their baptism and confirmation, all are commissioned to the apostolate of the church by the Lord himself…the baptized laity are called in a special way to make the church present and operative in those places and circumstances where only through them can she (the church) become the salt of the earth”. (Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, #10,35, Nov. 1964). With these responsibilities in mind, let us also recall that just as Jesus’ baptism was the starting-point for his public ministry, so also does our baptism prepare us for service.

The Lord of All Peoples

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, bestow on me “the gift of inclusiveness” and help us recognize our oneness in You. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We gather today in this season of Christmas joy to celebrate the manifestation of the Lord to all the peoples of the earth. The three wise men paid homage to the Christ child by presenting Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Our celebration of this feast becomes meaningful only when we approach Jesus with the “gift of inclusiveness”.

The homily given by a young priest near the end of the film “Chocolat” may well illustrate this gift of inclusiveness. “I think we can’t go around measuring our goodness by what we don’t do”, he says, “by what we deny ourselves, what we resist, and who we exclude. I think we’ve got to measure goodness by what we embrace, what we create, and who we include”.

The solemnity of the Epiphany or the Manifestation of the Lord is about who we include. It celebrates the wondrous revelation that Christ’s coming was intended not only for the Jews but for all the peoples of the world. It rejoices that this child of Bethlehem is also the Lord of all nations and all peoples. It is, in this sense, the quintessential “catholic” feast.

The church has always a strong tendency to exclude those who are different from us. This instinct to exclude must be continually confronted by the truth of the gospel. This solemnity seeks such confrontation.

Usually the power of this feast is reduced by historicizing it and focussing only on the arrival of the magi. What is more appropriate is to find ways to highlight and celebrate the actual diversity of the parish. What about having people in their own ethnic dress included in the entrance procession? Or having people of different nationalities carry banners or flags representing their heritage? What about using music drawn from different traditions and using different languages, at least for simple responses that all can learn easily. Let this day be a day to celebrate the diversity that the parish embraces. Let us pray for all those that people consider “different”, and pray for the grace to recognise our oneness in Christ.

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?