III Sunday of Lent

THIRST QUENCHER

Exodus 17:3-7; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8; John 4:5-42

Readings for the III Sunday of Lent

 

Several years ago, I was trekking with friends. By mid-day, after trekking a few hours, we were half-way to our destination and out of water! There was no water source/ human habitation in sight. An hour later, we chanced upon a tiny stagnant pool of water. We were tired and thirsty. And so, though the water was dank, we drank!

Thirst! This was the condition of the wandering Israel. 

It was thirst that made them grumble against Moses; lament their liberation from Egypt; question God’s presence among them. 

God’s response? He gives them life-giving water: a reminder of his continued and powerful presence among them.

Thirst! This was the condition of the Samaritan woman.

It was physical thirst that made her come to the well in the noon-day sun; emotional thirst which took her through six relationships; spiritual thirst which made her dialogue with a male Jew.

God’s response? Jesus gives her live-giving water. He satisfies her longing for love and understanding; he treats her as a human person with respect and dignity. Through a seven-part catechesis, he guides her from ignorance to faith; she grows progressively in her knowledge of Jesus’ identity: a Jew, sir, prophet, and Messiah. 

Her growth in the faith journey culminates in her leaving her water jar behind; she goes from being a social outcast to becoming a disciple and a missionary.

Thirst! This is our condition too. 

We, too, have our physical, emotional, spiritual thirst. God’s response to our thirst is like his response to the thirst of Israel and the Samaritan woman. He fills us with living water! We need not go back to the well because the source of living water is within us… from our baptism. 

Do I still go to other wells, or do I allow the living water to be my thirst-quencher?  In what way can I, like the woman, invite people to “come and see” and encounter Jesus, and drink of the living water that I have drunk?

II Sunday of Lent

LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Genesis 12:1-4a; 2 Timothy 1:8b-10; Matthew 17:1-9

Readings for the II Sunday of Lent

A king received two falcons and gave them to his head falconer for training. Months later, the head falconer informed the king that one falcon was flying majestically; the other had not moved from its branch. The king summoned his ministers and sorcerers; none could get the bird to leave the branch. The king promised a reward to the one who made the falcon fly. Several people tried and failed. One farmer succeeded! The king was thrilled; he asked the farmer what he had done. The farmer replied: “Your Highness, I cut the branch on which the bird was sitting.”

If we want to find our place in life, we need to get off our branches, we need to leave our comfort zones. Today’s readings emphasize this truth.

In the first reading, God tells Abraham to leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s house – his “branch” – and journey to the unknown. Abraham experiences many difficulties and sufferings because of this “leaving”; the result is a life of blessing and glory.

In the verses preceding today’s gospel, Jesus predicts his passion, death, and resurrection. Today’s text ends with Jesus’ command to his disciples: “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Matthew thus indicates that there is a necessary connection between suffering and glory, between death and life. He skilfully drives home this point: the three disciples who are at the Transfiguration will be at Jesus’ agony at Gethsemane! 

It is not easy to leave a comfort zone; our natural impulse is to stay! On the mountain, surrounded by magnificence and glory, Peter wants to remain! But the voice tells them “to listen” to Jesus’ teaching that the way to life is through suffering and death. 

This was not easy for Jesus; it is not easy for us. The Transfiguration assured Jesus that the Father was with him and strengthened him on his road through suffering-death to the resurrection. It strengthened the disciples’ faith on their journey of discipleship. God’s love will sustain us as we leave our comfort zones and journey through suffering to life.

Am I ready to leave behind familiarity and security? What are the “branches” I must cut or the comfort zones I must leave to experience new life?

I Sunday of Lent

IMITATING JESUS THE OBEDIENT SON

Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11

Readings for the I Sunday of Lent

In a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin tells his dad: “So long, Pop! I’m off to check my tiger trap! I rigged a tuna fish sandwich yesterday, so I’m sure to have a tiger by now!”

His dad asks: “They like tuna fish, huh?” 

Calvin says: “Tigers will do anything for a tuna fish sandwich!” 

The final frame shows Hobbes, hanging by his foot from a tree, munching a tuna fish sandwich and saying: “We’re kind of stupid that way.”

Adam and Eve were kind of stupid that way! They wanted to be like God and made a foolish decision: instead of enjoying all that was “very good”, they chose the forbidden.

Temptation came to them at three levels: physical (“good for food”); emotional (“a delight to the eyes”); and intellectual (“desired to make one wise”). But the foundation of the temptation was the doubt about God’s word: “Did God say…?” and the blatant denial of God’s word “You will not die.”

Like Adam in the garden, Jesus is subject to three tests in the wilderness; unlike Adam, Jesus does not succumb. After his baptism, Jesus is clear about his identity as the Son of God and does not make stupid choices which prevent him from living his identity.

The three temptations reflect the three tests Israel, called “son” by God, faced and failed; Jesus rejects the devil’s short-cuts and remains faithful. Jesus 

- refuses to mistrust God; refuses to exploit his power to provide himself with bread; manifests his total dependence on God. 

- refuses to seek proof of God’s presence.

- affirms his uncompromising loyalty to God. 

Our needs/ desires – physical, emotional, intellectual – could become channels for temptation. We will fall if we fail to nourish ourselves with God’s word, which comes to us in the scriptures, in the Church’s teachings, in parents’ advice, and in the innocence of children.

What is my tuna-fish sandwich? How/when do my needs become channels for temptation? What prevents me from living as God’s child?

VI Sunday of the Year

GOING BEYOND THE BOOK

Sirach 15:15-20; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37

Readings for the VI Sunday of the Year

There were two junior executives in a company. Both were diligent workers. One always went by the book and never erred. The other went beyond the book and therefore made mistakes. When there was an opening for a senior executive position, the managing director promoted the second exec. Mr By-the-Book was enraged and questioned a director about the decision! He had a better record; he never made mistakes; he always followed the book. The director replied: “Yes! But what will you do when something comes up that isn’t in the book? You know the rules. He knows our rationale; he knows the mind of the directors.”

It’s not enough to go by the book. Often in life—and always in the Christian life—we need to go beyond the book. That’s the bottom line of today’s scripture! 

In the gospel, Jesus challenges his disciples to go beyond the book, to surpass the righteousness of the scribes/Pharisees. In the Jewish perspective, one was righteous if one kept the law. For Jesus, it’s not enough to tick the commandment boxes! 

Jesus identifies the causes of sin and calls his disciples to also avoid the causes of sin. He does this through six illustrations (four in today’s text) which have the form “it was said… but I say to you.” The first part of the statement recalls the Law of Moses; the second part is the challenge to “go beyond”.

Disciples must  

a) avoid murder and avoid attitudes/behaviour that inappropriately express anger 

b) avoid adultery and have hearts free of lust

c) avoid divorce and remain faithful to the marriage covenant

d) avoid all oaths.

It’s not enough to know and keep the rules. We need to know the rationale for the rules and keep their spirit. We need to know why we are disciples and who we should be… by knowing Jesus, putting on his mind, and living his values. 

Am I ready to go beyond “the book”? Am I ready to imitate the One who came to “fulfil the law”? 

V Sunday of the Year

RELIGION: BEYOND RULES-RITUALS-RHETORIC

Isaiah 58:7-10; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16

Readings for the V Sunday of the Year

A little girl was visiting her grandparents, who held that Sunday should be a day of quiet and that the Bible was the only book to be read. The girl could neither play nor prance about. One Sunday, she asked for and was given permission to walk to the gate. There she saw the old mule standing with his head bowed and his eyes closed. She patted him, and said: “Poor old fellow, have you got religion, too?” 

Isn’t that how many view religion: a set of do’s and don’ts, practices and prayers? And many are completely turned off by the rules and rituals and rhetoric that we think comprise religion.

This Sunday’s readings paint a very different picture of religion! 

The context of the first reading is a critique of ritualistic fasting. Isaiah insists that true religion consists in being just and in removing need and oppression. The consequence of such religion: “Then shall your light break forth like the dawn... then shall your light rise in the darkness.” 

In the second reading, Paul critiques preaching which is nothing more than empty rhetoric.

For Jesus, discipleship is being “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”. Salt and light function in three ways: by associating with the things they want to change; by being different from them; and by making a difference. 

Also, women in Israel placed salt at the base of ovens and then a salt-dung mixture on it; the salt acted as a catalyst and caused the dung to burn. To be the salt of the earth is to be a catalyst to start fires. When Jesus’ disciples do this, they will also be “light of the earth”. In much of the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will spell out how to be salt and light, he will articulate this very different and radical way of looking at religion… which is living in love.

Will I live true religion—sharing with the needy, being just, removing oppression? Or will I be satisfied with rules, rituals, rhetoric which lead to bowed heads, closed eyes, heavy hearts? How will I be the salt of the earth, a catalyst to light fires in people’s lives?

IV Sunday of the Year

NOBODY’S CHILD? GOD’S!

Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a

Readings for the IV Sunday of the Year

“Nobody’s Child” is a song about a blind orphan boy, who feels nobody wants him. Many visit the orphanage to adopt children, but – because he is blind – they leave him behind. He feels the absence of love.

There are moments in our lives when we feel like “nobody’s children”: unwanted, unloved, misunderstood, rejected; we consider ourselves failures. Today’s readings tell us that we have no cause for despair… because our God prefers the nobodies of the world! 

In the first reading, Zephaniah speaks of and to “a people humble and lowly”. These – the remnant of Israel/anawim – are a small group of people who, despite difficulties and trials, have been faithful to God. While others turn to worldly wealth and power, these know that their power lies in God alone. Hence, they shall know true peace: “they shall pasture… with none to disturb them”! The anawim are a concrete sign of God’s power working among the nobodies of the world. 

This is the thrust of the gospel beatitudes! 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit…” The ‘poor in spirit’ do not have the resources to meet their needs and recognise their total dependence on God. Jesus does not justify/extol economic poverty; he calls his disciples to recognise their complete dependence on God and to give up self-reliance. “… for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” He assures them that when they are ‘poor in spirit’ they will experience deep communion with God now.

The second to the seventh beatitudes spell out aspects of being ‘poor in spirit’.

In the eighth beatitude, we hear again the refrain: “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Those declared ‘blessed’ are those persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Righteousness, for Matthew, is doing God’s will always.

The readings remind us that – however painful the circumstances – the anawim experience the grace of God and intimate communion with him… here and now and always.

In my darkest hour, in moments of intense isolation and pain, in moments when I feel like nobody’s child, can I be ‘poor in spirit’? Can I acknowledge my nothingness before God and my complete dependence on him? If yes, mine is the kingdom of heaven.

III Sunday of the Year

A LIGHT TO THOSE IN DARKNESS

Isaiah 8:23—9:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12-23

Readings for the III Sunday of the Year

Mother Teresa visited a man who lived alone. His room was dark and dirty. She started cleaning the room. The man gruffly asked her to leave it as it was. She kept cleaning and found a dirty oil lamp. She asked: “How come you never light this lamp?” He replied: “Why should I light it? No one ever comes to see me.” “Will you light it if one of my sisters comes to see you?” “If I hear a human voice, I’ll light the lamp.”

Two sisters began visiting him. His situation and he gradually improved. Then one day he told them: “Sisters, I’ll manage on my own from now. But do me a favour. Tell that first sister who came to see me that the light she lit in my life is still burning.”

What Mother Teresa did for that poor man (and countless others) was to continue the mission of Jesus: to bring light to “the people who sit in darkness”.

The gospel announces the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. It is significant that Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee. For Matthew, this is the fulfilment of Isaiah’s oracle (First Reading) concerning the Messiah: the darkness of Galilee’s Assyrian captivity will end and the “great light” of their deliverance will appear.

Further, Galilee was home to Jewish immigrants who, for centuries, were surrounded and influenced by Gentiles. The people of Judah looked down on them. Jesus, himself an immigrant, begins his ministry among these outcasts, the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”.

Jesus’ mission is to proclaim and establish the kingdom of God: a state of love, justice, and peace; a reversal of darkness and oppression of every kind. He does this by teaching and healing, by calling people to “repent”, and to follow him. 

The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light. But our reality is that we still live in darkness; we still face isolation and oppression. The Lord, who called Simon and Andrew, James and John, calls us to follow him to continue his mission to bring light to “the people who sit in darkness”.

Who are the people who sit in darkness in my life? And how will I bring light to them? Will I leave my “boat” and “nets” (my securities, my old value system) to follow him?

May we who “have seen a great light” allow this light to remove all darkness from our lives.

II Sunday of the Year

GO!

Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34

Readings for the II Sunday of the Year

Someone asked a missionary whether he liked what he was doing. His response was shocking: “Do I like this work? No! I do not like dirt. I have reasonable refined sensibilities. I do not like crawling into dirty huts.” He listed all the difficulties he endured. 

He continued: “But is a person to do nothing for Christ he/she does not like? Liking or disliking has nothing to do with it. I have orders to ‘go’ and I go. Love impels me.”

Today’s liturgy emphasises that love impels every missionary… beyond their dislikes and feelings.

In the first reading, God says that he forms his servant to bring back Jacob and Israel to himself. The mission “is too light a thing” and so the servant has “to be a light to the nations.”

In the second reading, Paul affirms that he is “called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.” The Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s Letters make it clear that Paul feels impelled to be an apostle. He has orders to “go” and he does… despite the hardships and tribulation he faces.

In the gospel, John the Baptist spells out his mission: to reveal Jesus to Israel and to testify that he is the son of God. The fact that he did not know Jesus is irrelevant; he “had” to witness to him. 

The mission of the servant, of Paul, of John the Baptist – and it is one mission – is our mission too. You and I are called to be a light to the nations, to be apostles, to lead others to Jesus.

Do I allow love to impel me to be an apostle and a missionary? Or do my likes/ dislikes and fears prevent me from witnessing to God’s love? How will I be a light to “the nations”? How will I reveal Jesus to people around me?

May you and I “go”. May his love impel you and me!

The Baptism of the Lord

A NEW WAY OF LIVING

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17

Readings for the Baptism of the Lord

A 10-year-old boy, Cameron, walked into the pastor’s office with a request: “We were learning about Jesus’ baptism. The teacher asked the class who was baptized and all the other kids raised their hands. I want to be baptized too.”

The pastor gently asked: “Cameron, do you want to be baptized only because everyone else is?” The boy replied, “No. I want to be baptized because it means I belong to God.”

The pastor was moved by his understanding and suggested that Sunday for his baptism. Cameron asked: “Do I have to be baptized in front of people in the church? Can’t I just have a friend baptize me in the river?” The pastor asked where he came up with that idea. “Well, Jesus was baptized by his cousin John in a river, wasn’t he?”

The pastor conceded: “You have a point. But, if a friend baptized you in the river, how would the church recognize it?” Realizing this was a teachable moment, the pastor reached for the Ritual Book. But before he could pick the book, Cameron responded: “I guess by my new way of living.” The Book stayed on the shelf! Cameron’s understanding of baptism was profound in its simplicity. 

Baptism does signify that we belong to God, a belonging seen in a new way of living.

It was thus with Jesus’ baptism. The Father affirmed his sonship: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Empowered by the Spirit, who descended on him at his baptism, Jesus started proclaiming the kingdom of God, began teaching and healing, and restored broken lives instead of broken furniture. 

He, thus, fulfilled the mission of the Servant of Yahweh, which we heard in the First Reading. This text gives us both the method and the content of Jesus’ mission: not by loud and violent means but by going about doing good and healing all who are bruised and broken.

It is the same with us. Our baptism is not simply a one-off ceremony or a ritual recorded in some dusty parish register. It must pervade our entire life. Through baptism we become sons and daughters of God; we belong to him. The Spirit empowers us to live this new life as God’s children. 

Is my baptism seen in my way of living? Can people recognise that I belong to God?

May we live our baptism so that the Father may be able to say of us: “This is my beloved son/ daughter, with whom I am well pleased.”

The Epiphany of the Lord

ONE GOD – ONE FAMILY

Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12

Readings for the Epiphany of the Lord

Growing up as a “fauji” kid was an amazing experience of a life of communion! Each campus was a mini-India. We hailed from different places and spoke different languages, professed different faiths, and had different customs. Despite our numerous differences, we shared a common bond. In sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, in mourning and in celebration, we were one people: members of one fauji family.

We are members of one family—one human family which the One God has created. This is the thrust of the readings on the Feast of the Epiphany. 

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes that the manifestation (or epiphany) of God’s glory in Jesus reveals God’s plan to make all people “members of the same body”. 

In the first reading, Isaiah invites Jerusalem to “rise up in splendour” because the exile is over. Her sons and daughters return to Jerusalem; and so will the Gentiles bearing “the wealth of nations” to praise God who has done wonders for all his people.

What Isaiah proclaims in verse, Matthew narrates in word! Bethlehem is the destination of the pilgrimage of the Magi bearing gifts to honour the King of the Jews. Jews and Gentiles are one in praising and adoring the one God. And God, in the person of Jesus, is reaching out to one people, to the whole world.

In a world which increasingly emphasizes division based on gender, race, religion, nationality, class… the Feast of the Epiphany is a powerful reminder that for God there are no foreigners, no outsiders; all are his beloved children. 

Do I see myself as a member of the one human family? How will I manifest and celebrate my oneness with all people in the week ahead?