O LORD, and lover of souls!

 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time: October 30, 2022

Readings: Wisdom 11:22–12:2; Psalm 145:1–2, 8–11, 13–14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11–2:2; Luke 19:1–10

(Jesus and Zaccheus)
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Often change does not happen by itself. We have to wait for that opportunity or an occasion, where something triggers and change takes place. What is constant is change. Therefore, there is nothing permanent in this world. However, if one is not ready for change, then it is difficult to notice the effects of change.  The liturgical readings on this 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, invite us to look for changes in life, especially when our lives are not attuned to the Will of God.

1. Curiosity wins

For any learning or improvement in one's quality of life, one has to develop a deep sense of curiosity. It is said that curiosity is the mother of all learning. The more one is curious, one learns or invents. If a person is disinterested or nothing bothers him about the happenings around him, such a person will lose the sense of purpose in life. To see and be seen, according to Brene Brown, is the greatest gift of love. Today’s gospel Luke 19:1–10 provides a powerful example of what this love looks like in action. Zaccheaus, the tax collector was an ardent curious person. He was not only short in physical stature but also in moral standing. He not only realized the importance of Jesus in and around Palestine but also in his life.

The Humbling Effect

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time: 23 October 2022

Readings: Sirach 35:12–14, 16–18; Psalm 34:2–3, 17–19, 23; 2 Timothy 4:6–8, 16–18; Luke 18:9–14

(The Pharisee and the Tax Collector)
To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click here: https://youtu.be/fGhbOh2isYU 

God has blessed us with a beautiful Mother Earth. As I write these few reflections, I am crisscrossing the beautiful, lush green landscape between Bangalore and Pune by an express train. I am heading towards Pune to preach a retreat. Having rained, the land looks majestic like a bride in this festive season of Divali. As the train runs between the paddy fields and forests, towns and villages, rivers and lakes, human and non-human habitats, I am nothing but thankful for all that God does for us without the slightest human effort to maintain such a massive, vast, vibrant and wonderful creation. It humbles us to see the enormous creativity of God, which makes our eyes sore with gladness and joy. Perhaps, the suggested readings for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time remind us that finally, we should allow God to be God. Only the virtue of humility is the only way to attain the vision of God.

1. Being human means being humble 

Jesus narrates a story of two men with different backgrounds at prayer in a synagogue. A Pharisee who is known for his uprightness is standing and praying in the synagogue. Instead of being grateful, Pharisee congratulates himself and points at the fellow Jew who is also standing at a distance praying with all humility. He is a tax collector, therefore a sinner. The pharisee distinguishes himself from the "rest of humanity - greedy, dishonest, adulterous - or even like this tax collector." He says, "I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income" (Luke 18:11-12). What matters most for Jesus’s succinct observation is the words that are uttered by the Pharisee: "I’m not like that tax collector." 

Never Give up!

 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time: October 16, 2022

Readings: Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 121:1-8; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8

 (Image: Aaron and Hur standing on each side of Moses)
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Persistence, perseverance and patience are the three magical words that help us to do marvels in our lives. Life is tough but with our efforts and God’s help, we can make our life possible. A certain amount of energy and resilience, we must instill within us in spite of the odds and adversaries that we encounter in every day of our lives. To keep up with the phase of our lives, we must encourage ourselves. In a world of evil and jealousy, what must keep us going is our deep faith in the Lord and our own convictions and values that we hold dear to us. The liturgical readings on this 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time invite us to cultivate within us those qualities of faith, convictions, values, persistence, perseverance and patience to make our life fascinating, interesting and enjoyable one.

1. Don’t give up when others are unwilling

In the Gospel reading of today (Luke 18:1-8), the widow follows a simple procedure that is not to give up on her desire to get justice from the lazy and unjust judge - who neither feared God nor respected any human being. Probably the sense of pride must have overtaken him from being what he is supposed to be and doing. He seems to have believed in himself. Therefore "he cared for no one". In other words,  he had no fear of God or respect for humanity. Certainly, he was not a good man. In fact, he believed in his self-sufficiency and arrogance. He must have made enough wealth for himself and his family. Hence he had no need of anyone’s benevolence and kindness. Moreover, his intentions toward justice were distorted as a judge. A judge must deliver justice and especially for those poor and marginalized. Moreover, he must have special care and concern to them as they would not be able to fund a good lawyer to defend them.

Gratitude - the Attitude of joy of the Heart

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time: October 09, 2022

Readings: 2 Kings 5:14–17; Psalm 98:1–4; 2 Timothy 2:8–13; Luke 17:11–19

(Healed Samaritan thanks, Jesus Luke 17:11–19)
To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click here: https://youtu.be/sfS8-kQ0hb8

A grateful heart is closer to God. Often it is difficult to be grateful and be thankful to others.  All the blessings and beautiful things that happen in our life because of the intervention of others. Unfortunately, they are taken for granted. Being ungrateful or not recognizing the goodness, mercy and compassion of others in our lives is a sign of how evil we are. The liturgical readings on this 28th Sunday of the Ordinary Time, remind us that God's love, compassion, mercy and healing move beyond the barriers of any religion, culture and race. God's graciousness extends beyond our imagination. We, often, put boundaries for God, so that he does not intervene in our lives. We like to be in control of our own destinies and avoid being in debt to anyone. The God that the scriptures speak today is a larger one, a bigger one!

1. In illness and suffering, people are not divided

The Gospel writer St. Luke gives us a fascinating story of ten Lepers who were healed by Jesus while he was entering a village near Samaria and Galilee. During the time of Jesus, as a social norm Lepers were kept outside the village or city in order to prevent the disease from spreading because they thought that it was contagious and transmittable. They even considered leprosy as a curse by God. That is how Jesus encounters these 10 lepers while entering a village. This incident also says to us that these lepers were considered socially dead, and were not part of the societal life or anything that has to do with normal life in society – religious, economic, cultural or political. They were regarded as outcasts and ostracized from every public place including towns and villages.