19th Ord -- Year C

19^th  ORDINARY SUNDAY:

WIS. 18:6-9; Heb. 11: 1-2, 8-19; LUKE12: 32-48

            One day a young woman was travelling from one place to another. On her way to the railway station, she saw many orphans, diseased and hungry children. As she got into the train she said to herself “The World is in need of a big change and needs a true transformation” a she started interacting with God: God why don’t you do something to make this world a better place for all of us? God replied: “I have done something about it. I have created you” Then that woman recognized that she was God’s great instrument and God wants her to do something for those children that she had seen. Jesus revealed to her the desire of His heart for “victims of unloved” and called her “Come be my light”.  By recognizing call, the woman took risk in her life and she came out of four walls of convent with rupees five and served the poor her entire life. She is going to be canonized soon by Pope Francis. That woman is none other than St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

            Yes dear brothers, Mother Teresa recognized her call and she took risk in her life. So God blessed her. Similarly God created you and me in his likeness and image with a specific purpose. He does nothing in vain. The common purpose of God in creating Human being is “To know him, to love him and to reach him”. But God wants every one of us to act in a special way to reach this goal. Today’s readings are inviting us to take risk in our life to do the will of God. So that God will bless us. Through the readings of the day, Jesus is asking us to find out where our treasure is, either is it in earthly things or heavenly things?

            Abraham’s real treasure was his faith in God and his heart was with God. So he took the risk. God said to Abraham “Go from your country to the land that I will show you. I will make of you great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Gen 12:1-2) Though Abraham had no proofs for God’s promises but he believed in God and had hope in God. He denied himself and followed God. Now he became the father of multitude nations.

            Mother Teresa and Abraham’s lives teach us and initiate us to take risk for the greater glory of God. Then how can we achieve this goal? How can I take risk in the present world? How can I get blessings from God? For all these questions the answer is in today’s Gospel. In the Gospel Christ presents the perpetual attitude, that all Christian should have in order to reach the ultimate goal.  Jesus said “Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning and be like men who are waiting for their masters return” (Lk 12:35-36) As Christians our lives are marked by three attitudes

1)      girded loins -- Know Christ and live Christ

2)      lighted lamps – Be a Warrior for Christ and Share Christ

3)      waiting hearts – Be faithful to Christ till the end

Girded loins: St. Augustine interpreted this as ‘departing from evil’. Yes, we have to detach ourselves from all that hold us back from Christ. We must abstain from all those lustful desires and habits which hold and hinder our journey towards the new and eternal city – Jerusalem. Girded loins symbolize personal preparation of knowing Christ whoever knows Christ. Then he will become a new creation i.e. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” (2 cor 5:17)

lighted lamps: Jesus in his sermon on the mount said “ You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven”(Mt 5: 14,16). Through baptism our lives were lit by Christ and we became warrior to Christ. Warrior will not be calm in battle field so we too also perform certain actions. Our lord Jesus is asking us to keep these lamps burning by doing good works.

Waiting hearts:  Waiting hearts symbolizes ‘Be vigilant and ready to face the Lord’. One of the traditional means for remaining alert is prayer. The most important element in prayer is listening to God – an attitude of giving attention to the "tiny whispering sound" of the Lord (1 Kings 19:11-12).   We can tune our ears to the divine sounds of love, harmony and peace. Let us recall the words of the Book of Revelation: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him and he with me" (3:20).

            Jesus said that his second coming would be as sudden and unexpected as the arrival of the master of household. So be ready to meet Christ. When God calls, we have to meet Him and to give Him an account of our life on earth. God sees whether we carry out his plan or not.

            So as a Christian, take the risk of selling your property of licit pleasures, barrow light from Christ and shine before others. Mary our mother did same thing. She risked her life to God, by saying “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Lk1:38)  She allowed herself to carry Christ in her womb and she listened Christ words and practiced in her life. By that she became the model for all Christians.

So let us think of our lives. Are we able to take risk like Abraham, Mary, Jesus and Mother Theresa to show Christ to others? Am I able to say ‘My treasure is in heaven’? Let us think about ourselves.

In the world there are 3 kinds of people “The first one those who are Immovable, The second one those who are Movable, The third one those who are Move.” Let us become the persons of Move that is having high goal to meet Christ. Let our dream may be fulfilled by God’s grace. Amen.

18th Ord - Year C

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time -- Year C

ECC 1:2; 2:21-23; COL 3:1-5, 9-11; LK 12:13-21

One Young rich man seeing many destitute, naked people and homeless people, being pity on them he distributed some of clothes, property from his house. By seeing this action, the father of the young man so serious and asked him explanation. Son replied that they all are poor. He said that Christ asking him to love poor. Father complained his abnormal behavior to higher authorities and son replied same. So out of angry father said don’t come to my house, you don’t have any authority on my possessions. Son said for the sake of poor and for Christ I will live a poor life and he removed the clothes on his body and gave to his father, Since these clothes also belongs to the father. So for the sake of poor, He became poor and started working for reformation for the Church in 13^th century. That is none other than St.Francis of Assisi.

               All the saints in their life are not clinging to worldly pleasures. They gave first priority to Christ. The readings of the day reminding us and inviting us to become like ‘Christ centered person’. Jesus said ‘Life is not consists in the abundance of possessions (Luke 12:15).

          Even the first reading says ‘All is vanity’. In the parable, rich man’s land produced abundantly. Already he is rich and his crops are produced more fruit though he even not even think of the other. He is planning for future. Rich man’s character is self centered, covetous. This is not expected from him. God gives talents to each one of us to share with others who don’t have i.e. Love your Neighbor.  For this reason Jesus condemned rich man saying “You Fool!”  Then what must be the ideal Christian character should be?

                Christ centered life is nothing but live life as Christ lived or imitating Christ’s footsteps.  With Baptism we died with Christ for Sin and with his resurrection we are living. So our life is not for fornication, impurity passions, evil desires but it for Christ.

                Let our life not for worldly passions but it is for Christ. What I mean by this sentence is “Become Christ” i.e. love God and Love neighbor in day to day life. Don’t be self centered. As Christians we must do journey from ‘I’ to ‘We’. I is Self but ‘We’ is togetherness. So let us ask Christ’s help, to overcome selfishness in our lives. May our loving Jesus assist us. Amen

17th ordinary Year C

“Lions may lack and go hungry but those who seek the Lord, Lack nothing” (Ps 34:10)

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C)

Power of Christian

            A patient gets power from injection or tablets, a looser gets power from hope of winning, a farmer obtains hope by seeing rains at the proper time and a hunger gets strength from food. Then what about Christian?  Christian gets his strength and draws power from Christ only through prayer. Then you may ask question what is prayer? How can it become power to Christian? Prayer is not monologue but it is a dialogue between Supreme Being (God) and Man. We read in the psalms “the power belongs to God” (62:11) and God wants to transmit this power to human beings by having dialogue with Him i.e. who ever asks will receive it.( Mt 7:7). Prayer is a mighty weapon. As weapon kills many enemies so Prayer also kills the mighty enemy Satan. Prayer is a key to God’s grace. As key opens lock so prayer opens the heart of man to God.

           In today’s Gospel, we heard that the disciples, after seeing Jesus at prayer, asked him to teach them to pray. By seeing their enthusiasm, Jesus not only gave them the “our father” as the pattern, He also taught them the spirit required behind every prayer. What’s that spirit? Through the parable of the “persistent friend” Jesus outlined the spirit of prayer.That spirit consists of at least 2 things:

1.    Pray Persistently: We must pray always and not to lose heart. Jesus through the parable encourages constancy in prayer. Constancy not only manifests our deep faith but also increase our faith to a higher level. Somehow, god does not give us at the first but It is not to be taken as disappointment but rather as training by God in spiritual matters. As in the parable, persistent friend had benefited so we also surely benefit from God.
2.  Pray with filial confidence: God is our Father. When we pray to God by calling ‘our father’, the relationship between God and us is one of deep intimacy- Father and children. So God is more willing to bestow good gifts to us. Abba father never rejects or refuses to give Holy Spirit, the supreme gift to his children. St. James revealed that as we are not asking so we are not getting (James 4:2) so ask God confidently he is surely listening and answer our prayers.   When apostles asked they received Holy Spirit. Today if you and I ask for same spirit our heavenly father ready to anoint us with his spirit.

       Prayer not only affects individual but it also affects community. In today’s first reading Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah. God listened his petition and saved Loth’s family. Today if you intercedes for whole world, then God is ready to save at least one so why can’t use this power? Why can’t you try it?  Prayer transforms the desire and moulds it according to God’s will, whatever it is so it is power to Christian to witness the Lord.

         Through the readings of the day as a Christian we must learn ‘How to Pray’ Prayer consists of praise, forgiveness, petitions and intercession. So let us cultivate the habit of prayer and through prayer let us be close to almighty God as His children.