"Invisibility" and "departing" seem to be the two words, which we have been experiencing during this second wave of the Corona pandemic. Many of our dear and close relatives, friends, colleagues, collaborators, etc. are becoming so quickly invisible to our eyes as the savage illness mercilessly taking lives including the young ones. I believe that the mood of the disciples on that day of their master's ascension into heaven must be similar. Jesus who was physically present with them for many years is no more. Jesus returns to his Father in heaven, in other words, Jesus departs from the earth. The reading does not tell us the mood of the disciples when they saw Jesus disappearing from their midst. The reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us that two angels appeared to the disciples and assured of his Second Coming as the way he was taken up. They carried a promise along with them with the mission that was given by Jesus “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16).
For the last two weeks, we have been reading 5 chapters (10-15) from the Gospel of St John. The Evangelist is focusing his attention on the person of Jesus Christ. For him, Jesus is the true light whom we must follow; he is the good shepherd who gives us his pastures; he is the vine and we are the branches; he is our friend and will give his life for us; he is the life and the resurrection and we have to remain with him to rise again. “This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you.” These and many more beautiful sayings St John elucidates in the discourse of Jesus.
This week has been, once again, a very tough week for us. We cannot remain aloof from what is happening to our brothers and sisters, family members, friends, collaborators and colleagues at the surge of Corona infection. It is almost twenty-four hours of the day, our mind is preoccupied with the devastations Corona pandemic causing. The familiar names and faces are vanishing away from our sight. As we raise our prayers and petitions to God our Good Shepherd, we have the beautiful words from St John's Gospel: “A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it can do so only if it remains in the vine” (Jn 15:4). We are nothing if we are not with the Lord.
1. Interconnectivity leads to Salvation
We live in a world of interconnectivity. The Gospel gives us an image of being linked to the source of our life as Christians, about being connected almost organically with Jesus. "I am the vine and you are the branches... Remain in me as I remain in you" (Jn 15:5). This passage is part of the Farewell Discourse that Jesus gives at the Last Supper. As the separations loom on the horizon, the friendship that has grown up these years together on the back roads and trails of Judea, and in the villages of Galilee is about to be shaken, Jesus will no longer be physically tangible, visibly present. St John the Evangelist depicts Jesus as a very affectionate and sensitive person. His humanity becomes very visible in the way he deals with his disciples so lovingly, and so delicately, and so poignantly, as St John paints this humanity of Jesus.
This week has been quite tough for us. Our province buried two Jesuits in a gap of three days. One returned to the Lord due to Covid and the other young Jesuit due to Cancer. On the one hand, as India is experiencing an unprecedented surge in Covid infections, Bangalore city's health infrastructure is unable to cope up with the situation. People are running from one hospital to another to find beds and oxygen. On the other hand, the political leaders are busy hurling at each other such mean accusations and low talk in the election rallies telling lies one after the other. Moreover, they are conducting election campaigns flouting rules and regulations which they themselves have set and thus increasing the Covid infections.
We are a country where our little achievements or failures are glorified to such an extent, efficiency and efficacy are not the standards that we value. We are a nation where we don't learn from history or past mistakes. Unfortunately, this is applied not just to politics, economics, scientific spectrum but also to our ecclesial or religious structures. We cannot be numb to the reality that we are facing today when we read the scriptures especially the liturgical readings that we have on this Sunday on the Good Shepherd and Salvation. Paul Tillich, the well-known German theologian writes that we cannot be stopped from asking ultimate questions. In other words, they are questions about our life, our existence, like where do we come from and where do we go? What is the finality of our being here on earth, etc? These are very important questions that must shake us up.
1. Shepherding to reach Salvation
The Christian principles teach us that the ultimate goal of our life here on earth is finding our salvation. The end for which we are created, in the words of St Ignatius of Loyola is "to praise, reverence, and serve God, and by doing this, to save our souls" (Sp. Ex 23). Therefore every activity of ours should have an end or finality. The finality is to attain eternal communion with God. The beautiful narration that we have in John's gospel on Good Shepherd after the heart of God must encourage us to believe that Jesus is our true shepherd. He came to take us back to God. He showed us a way to the Father. He is the eternity and the end. In him, we find our true freedom and happiness. His way of going about is that of the Father in heaven. There is nothing that can stop us from reaching that God of eternity as long as we keep our faith in Him.
"Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45). Perhaps these words of St Luke the Evangelist tell us concretely about Jesus and his disciples. The experiences of the apparition of Jesus leave the disciples not only strengthened in their faith in their master but also they see everything and that so far has happened in order to fulfil what is said in the scriptures. As true followers of the religion of Abraham, the disciples knew well about TaNaKh =Torah (Pentateuch), Nevi'im (prophets), and Ketuvim (writings). All the bits and pieces that they had experienced the earthly life of their Lord now they can weave it well and see how God has been working in their lives. Jesus' life and his action become very real to their eyes of faith and a life of hope. With this new encouragement and renewed spirit, they become witnesses of their Master's life and legacy to the ends of the universe.
1. Witness means ready to testify what is experienced
In our simple language to be a witness means to be present and testify the facts. The disciples of Jesus become the bold witness of his gospel. There is nothing that can deter them from giving witness after they experienced the Risen Jesus. They are exposed to the sufferings and hardships, trials and tribulations, yet their faith in the mission of the Lord is undiminished. In all these things their mind is open to the scripture and the Good News. The Gospel narrative of today continues to strengthen the disciples. One experience leads to another rich experience of the Risen Jesus and the disciples are being moulded to be strong in their convictions and belief. As the disciples feel strengthened by the experience of the disciples of Emmaus, the Risen Jesus makes his appearance to his friends once again casting away all the doubts if it all they had. Thus their doubts are cleared and spirit is raised. These experiences spring into action in proclaiming the gospel to the world.
The readings that we have for our liturgies during the Easter Season are centred around the resurrection of Jesus which contain not only what the Risen Lord did to those fear-stricken disciples but also to those who were around them. The beginning chapters of the Acts of the Apostles are full of life and vigour. The resurrection of Jesus brings together all his 11 disciples under a specific community with a particular task: To proclaim the resurrection of the Lord.
1. Resurrection is courage in place of fear
And the effects of the event of the Resurrection are experienced by those people who follow the apostles of Jesus and see in them a new energy flowing. And it is aptly demonstrated by today's reading. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the disciples are sent out to take God’s peace or “shalom” to the world. Peter becomes a significant figure within the early Christian Community in imitating Christ. If Christ proclaimed his Father’s mission, now Peter the disciple of Jesus proclaims Christ. Because those who have seen the Son have seen the Father, those who saw Jesus, have seen God.
1. Empty tomb means entering into the mystery of God's life
“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him” (John 20:2). These are the first words of Mary Magdeline to the two close disciples of Jesus, Peter and John which she must have uttered with utter disbelief, panic and fear when she did not find Jesus in the tomb. The first Easter day is filled with full of emotions. Horror or fear grips the disciples as they find that someone had carried away the body of Jesus. We also notice confusion as they saw the empty tomb and the clothes lying on the ground. “Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.” (John 20:8). As we celebrate Christ’s Resurrection, we praise him for his glory. Christ’s resurrection is something very special. It is rising from death and he will die no more. It’s about someone who has risen to an entirely new form of life, eternal life. It is a mystery of the reality of God's way of acting and perfecting us. So that we are not locked ourselves or to lie buried in the tomb of our own inadequacies of sin, evil habits, discouragement, doubt or to flee from what we fail to understand, or to close our eyes to problems or deny them.
1. A lasting memory of Jesus at the Eucharist One of the beautiful expressions of our Christian faith is participating in the Eucharist. This great sacrament was instituted on Holy Thursday evening when Jesus ate his last Passover meal with his 12 disciples. Incidentally, this last meal with his apostles on that very dramatic evening in Jerusalem is also solemnized and made as a memorial for the ages to come. This particular meal that Jesus ate with his close disciples is immortalized in the background of Jesus' imminent passion and death on the Cross. There is no other meal in the world that is remembered or repeated as that of Last Supper which took place 2000 years ago.
As we commemorate Palm Sunday we are exactly one year since we began to feel the heat of the corona pandemic and its consequences. We have spent a year of anxiety and dreadful fear as some of us lost our dear and near ones, others experienced what this Covid-19 actually is with its nasty symptoms of temperature going up and down, body ache, unending cough, and throat infection. And others those with comorbidities and other ailments or illnesses had to postpone the surgeries, wait for the senior consultants in the hospitals to return to work, and so on. No other time in the history of humanity experienced such a worldwide phenomenon whereof the whole global world on its knees with illness. Currently, the world is carrying a cross; humanity is placed on its shoulder a cross which is undoubtedly heavy, unbearable, and uncomfortable. Only God knows how long this cross will be carried. In this context of having no respite of this global illness, we begin to commemorate this Palm Sunday which takes into the Holy Week where we will contemplate Christ’s last days on this earth as a human person. In fact, the Holy Week embodies one of the richest liturgical weeks in our Christian life. A lot of significance is attached to this special period called “Holy Week” with varied forms of symbols being expressed and our faith and love for our Lord Jesus Christ is renewed and strengthened.
