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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Accentuate the Positive

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, foster in me a positive outlook and help me guide others to find the way. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The readings of this Sunday present us with several challenges. The first reading and the gospel remind us that God’s Spirit is not confined to our church or even to Christianity. The Spirit of God can be bestowed on whomever God chooses. Moses’ contemporaries (Num 11:25-29) did not understand this; they wanted Eldad and Medad to be stopped. Jesus’ disciples (Mk 9:38-48) suffered from a similar parochialism. Those to whom the second reading (James 5:1-6) was addressed seemed to have stifled the Spirit by giving themselves over to passing things of the world. Hence the harsh condemnation of the rich who mistreat the poor. The gospel also raises the issue of scandal, a topic that hits far too close to home now-a-days.


The natural impulse might well be to take the harsh tone in our self examination and evaluation of others this weekend. Certainly there is room for prophetic voices that call us to account. Some might challenge our continuing negative attitudes toward Christians of other denominations, as well as our view of Jews and Muslims and other non-Christian believers. Others might condemn our lack of efforts to correct injustice in our society and to help the poor truly both at home and around the world. All of them would have solid ground on which to stand.

The deeper question, though, is whether this stance of condemnation is the most effective. Perhaps we will catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Certainly a more positive approach is more conducive to celebration. So we should consider how we can lift up this weekend some of the positive efforts in the community to combat the evils noted in the readings.

Who is doing good work in our community to combat injustice? Who is working for peace day in and day out? Who is truly serving the poor? Who works to foster ecumenical activities and understanding? Who is devoted to the care of children?

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Serve and Grow

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, show me how to serve and make me grow.  Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Karl Rahner, our most mature theologian in several centuries, has this to say about children: “In the child, an adult begins who must undergo the wonderful adventure of becoming a child of God, for this is the task of maturity”. The readings of every Sunday invite us to fulfil this task of maturity. Today’s readings seem to provide a solid base for thinking of ourselves as adults/leaders in the making.


The letter of James (3:16-4:3) speaks of the difference between human wisdom and divine wisdom and describes the fruits of living by God’s wisdom. All our catechetical efforts are aimed at guiding believers into that wisdom. In the gospel (Mk. 9:30-37) Jesus gives a good example of divine wisdom when he teaches the Twelve that they must be the servants of all. They must redefine greatness as service and consider it an honour to be the last and a privilege to serve the least of all. A child is typical of the person who needs things, and it is the company of the person who needs things that disciples must seek. Certainly, it is easy and even pleasant to cultivate the friendship of those who can do things for us whose influence can be helpful to our purpose. Similarly, it is equally easy to avoid the company of the person who inconveniently needs our help. But the demands of discipleship go far beyond what is easy. The reversal of the world’s standards in his teaching is striking. The first reading (Wisdom 2:12,17-20) can serve to remind us that following God’s ways does not always bring us acceptance. Here again, the world’s standards of a successful life are different from God’s standards.

Servant leadership is always a delicate balancing act. People will not accept leadership unless they sense that the leaders are truly acting in the community’s best interest. Ultimately it is a matter of love. Leaders must love the church enough to act always for the good of others and love it enough to endure the opposition that will come even to the most selfless leadership.

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Growing Deaf?

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, when I grow deaf, make me attentive to your voice. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,


The theme set forth in today’s scriptural reading is the danger of deafness as regards to hearing and heeding the Word of God. Those who allow themselves to become deaf to the whisperings of God are inviting tragedy by placing their relationship with God in danger.

Our Israelite forebears in the faith believed that those who suffered from deafness were lacking in wholeness. Indeed, such a person was regarded as somehow unclean and therefore incapable of full participation in the life of the community. Moreover, the restoration of hearing and wholeness to the deaf came to be associated with the coming of the messiah, the era of salvation (1st reading, Isaiah 35:4-7a). That Jesus had the power and the willingness to cure the deaf (Gospel, Mk. 7:31-37) was a sure signal to his contemporaries that the messianic era was being realized in him and through him. Jesus’ cure of the deaf man was God’s way of making crooked ways straight at the dawn of a new era. The deafness Jesus cured was more than physical; Jesus also reached out to restore spiritual hearing and healing to all those who, for whatever reason, had grown deaf, insensitive to the word of God in whatever venue that word may have been spoken.

As we come together for weekly worship, our venue is a liturgical one. The word that is proclaimed challenges us to recognize that it is meant to be portable and translatable. To put it another way, the scriptures that we hear with our ears are to be carried away with us in our hearts and minds and memories. This being so, we will be able to revisit the word that is proclaimed on Sunday so as to be renewed in it and challenged and directed by that same word on every other day of the week.

Besides its most obvious liturgical venue, the word of God is proclaimed and challenges us to hear and heed it in other venues as well. The voice of God is ever present in word, in sacrament, in church teaching and in Christian insight. At times, however, the venues through which God speaks are unpleasant and we are tempted to turn a deaf ear to the cries of the poor, to their need for food, shelter, clothing and care. Those who profess to belong to the Lord must rouse themselves from deafness and be attentive to the Lord’s many and varied voices.

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