POPE FRANCIS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

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POPE FRANCIS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Ahead of next year’s critical UN climate summit meeting in Paris, he’s expected to ratchet up his advocacy. The Guardian of London is reporting that in the coming year, he is planning to release a message for Catholics, call a summit of the world’s major religions to jointly address climate change and give a speech to the UN general assembly. Bishop Marcelo Sorondo, chancellor of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences, said the Pope hopes influence the Paris climate summit participants to take decisive action.

“Our academics supported the pope’s initiative to influence next year’s crucial decisions,” Sorondo told London-based Catholic development agency Cafod. “The idea is to convene a meeting with leaders of the main religions to make all people aware of the state of our climate and the tragedy of social exclusion.”

He’ll apparently meet with other faith leaders to lobby government officials at the UN general assembly meeting in New York in September at which countries will be announcing new anti-poverty and environmental goals. The Pope has been regularly connecting the two, saying things like “An economic system centered on the god of money needs to plunder nature to sustain the frenetic rhythm of consumption that is inherent to it” and “The monopolizing of lands, deforestation, the appropriation of water, inadequate agro-toxics are some of the evils that tear man from the land of his birth. Climate change, the loss of biodiversity and deforestation are already showing their devastating effects in the great cataclysms we witness.”

Neil Thorns, head of advocacy at Cafod, expressed support for the Pope’s moves, telling The Guardian, “The anticipation around Pope Francis’s forthcoming encyclical is unprecedented. We have seen thousands of our supporters commit to making sure their MPs [members of Parliament] know climate change is affecting the poorest communities.”

On the other hand, Calvin Beisner of the conservative Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, which has called the U.S. environmental movement “un-biblical” and a false religion, said “The pope should back off. The Catholic church is correct on the ethical principles but has been misled on the science. It follows that the policies the Vatican is promoting are incorrect. Our position reflects the views of millions of evangelical Christians in the U.S.”

It’s unclear why the opinions of U.S. evangelical Christians, who have often branded Catholicism itself as “a false religion,” should matter to Pope Francis or the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

Dan Misleh, director of the Catholic climate covenant, responded, “There will always be 5-10 percent of people who will take offense. They are very vocal and have political clout. This encyclical will threaten some people and bring joy to others. The arguments are around economics and science rather than morality. A papal encyclical is rare. It is among the highest levels of a pope’s authority. It will be 50 to 60 pages long; it’s a big deal. But there is a contingent of Catholics here who say he should not be getting involved in political issues, that he is outside his expertise.”

INCARNATION AND SOCIAL MISSION

Incarnation and Social Mission

“For when peaceful stillness compassed everything, and the night in its swift course was half spent, Your all-powerful word from heaven’s throne bounded, a fierce warrior, into the doomed land” (Wisdom 18, 14 – 15). For the starting point of the Christ-event was a flight into the temporal, into the material, to this world of births and generations, to this world of buying and selling, to this world of housing and education, this world of leisure and of work, in order to transform, elevate, transfigure. Salvation is not a flight, a withdrawal, a retreat from the world. Not a flight of the alone to the Alone, not a rout from men and matter into the unfathomable Prajapati; not a denial of the existence of the world, not an aspiration towards nothingness. But salvation is an incarnation, an advance, an introit into the temporal and material, into the economic and social by the Word of God. Not that man and the Word may merely contain the Word, for Christ’s humanity is not a vessel of rare material in which reposes the Divinity; but that by a transfusion of the divine, man and the world may be redeemed and sublimated. For Christ’s humanity, through that indwelling, is raised to the highest realization possible to man. The social mission of the Incarnation is thus strictly within the movement and grace of the Hypostatic Union.

In the Incarnation the elevation has been wrought such as bewilders the heavenly intelligences. It is an injustice to the Incarnation to confine its effects to merely internal graces. Rather, in every line of progress – spiritual, intellectual, social, material – the advancement of humanity must be achieved. The material and social needs of our fellowmen fall within our Christian mission, within the mission of the Church whose divine Founder had pity on the famished crowd, who proclaimed that his disciples would be known by the love they had for one another, who gave the disciples of John a sign whereby he would understand that the Messiah was abroad: for the lame walked, the blind saw and the lepers were cleansed. And that sign has not changed since.

"JOHN" "ZACHARIAH" "ELIZABETH"

"JOHN" "ZACHARIAH" "ELIZABETH"
Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
Luke 1:57-66

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:Life is often filled with surprises!

Some of them are welcomed as, say, if we should win the lottery. Others, are not so welcoming as, say, if we should learn of the death of one we have loved and known for many years.

In today's gospel, there are two surprises: the first is that Elizabeth should have a son, and the second is that he should be called John. The meaning of the name John is interesting too: "God has shown favor."

If we were to put these three names together--Zachariah for "God has remembered," Elizabeth for "God is oath," and John as "God has shown favor,"--we have an inner code that goes something like this: God has remembered His oath to show favor to us.

This indeed is a surprise for the people who had waited so long for God to show favor to them. We, too, have waited for the Lord to show favor to us for His return, but we do not have to wait till the end time. He will be born anew in our hearts in a few days.

Are we ready to receive Him?

INCARNATION

The Incarnation

“For when peaceful stillness compassed everything and the night in its swift course was half-spent, your all powerful Word bounded from heaven’s  royal throne, a fierce warrior into the doomed land” Wisdom 18, 14 – 15).

The greatest things are accomplished in silence – not in the clamour of superficial display, but in the deep clarity of inner vision, in the almost imperceptible start of decision, in hidden sacrifice and quiet conquest. It is in silence that the heart is quickened by love, and the free will stirs to action. The silent forces are the strong forces. The greatest events are accomplished in silence. And the greatest event of all was when the Son of God leaped down from his heavenly throne on to this earth. It was the most silence event because it came from the infinite remoteness beyond the noise of any possible intrusion.

The Son of God became man, - “the Word was made flesh” (John 1) in the womb of a young virgin; and it hardly echoed in the upper circles of the time, ignored by the Roman historians. No one, except the young virgin, knew that Divinity had set up its tent among men. His royal chamber was the animals’ stable, his throne the manger, his canopy the hanging cobwebs, the reek of the dung the incense.

In this Child, God, having spoken at sundry times through the Prophets, chose to reveal to man the mysteries hidden from all eternity. In this Child the Divine made an advance into the world and man, a divine transfusion by which we are transformed, elevated, redeemed; for whereas we were blind, now we see. As St. Irenaeus says, “there is one Father, the Creator of Man; and one Son who fulfils the Father’s will; and one human race in which the mysteries of God are worked out, so that the creatures, conformed and incorporated with his Son, are brought to perfection.” In this Child, God and man have a purchase on each other. For God is so great that he can allow himself to become a child. He is so strong that he can appear weak. So overwhelmingly attractive that he draws everyone to himself without forcing anyone. God is so Almighty that he can bind people to himself without limiting their freedom.

The Incarnation, which was the starting point of Christianity, was a descent into the temporal, into the material, into this world of births and generations, into the world of buying and selling, into this world of housing and education, to this world of leisure and of hard work; this world of unemployment and taxes. The Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, took upon himself all this in order to transform, to elevate and transfigure.

Therefore, our salvation does not consist in a flight, an escape, a retreat from the world. Not a flight of the alone to the Alone. Not an escape from our fellowmen and our day to day burdens.

It is an injustice to the Incarnation to confine its effectiveness merely to internal graces. Rather, in every line of progress, spiritual, intellectual and material, the Incarnation must be sanctifying leaven. And if that is so, it should be the rule and not the exception to have saintly workers and peasants, saintly statesmen and judges, merchants and soldiers. All stages of life must be elevated, from childhood to adolescence, from marriage up to our last day on earth. “All flesh shall see the salvation of God” (John 1).

Indeed, it s only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word that the mystery of man is manifest. We neglect the mystery of man at our peril. Wherever the Christ Child is adored there is at least some sense of mystery. Ignore that birth, and the road to power runs straight as a ruler to the death camps. Focus on that birth, and the road to true humanity, however it may roll and meander, cannot be missed.

This divine-human Infant touched off a revolution, a quiet prolonged thunder, from the recesses of the cave of his birth, founding a Kingdom, characterized by unconditional love and undiscriminating service. The centre of this dynamic process is the human heart, and its source, the Son of God, born in the heart of each man and woman today. He is not an ideal or abstraction, a gaunt empty figure beyond description, but a Person in whom is the fullness of the Godhead, the most beautiful among men, Victor over death and hell, the great Judge. He has come, not to use us as tools, carrying us along with him, striding on rapidly towards a high abstract goal. Nay, nothing great he put before us to achieve except to love him, to be faithful to him and to give testimony to him when the times comes. Most great men have failed, for their schemes have been their ideals, and their chosen men their tools. And when these great ones died there was no one to weep over them. But Jesus dying lives, and living he dies daily like the grain of wheat or else he takes no root in our hearts. His ideal is that we love him, that we love one another for him and that we believe in his love for us.

He comes into this world, dispossessed Infinity, naked and cold, that each one of us may give him something – the universe for his stable, for his manger our hearts and their warmth.

For too many people Christmas is the time for exchanging gifts, very often gaudy things that no mortal ever bought for himself. It is one annual symptom of the lunatic condition of the world, in which everyone tries persuading everyone else to buy things.

So it’s good to remind ourselves on that GIFT that was wrapped up in circumstances of deepest poverty. And even though each Christmas I try to fathom its mystery, I trust I know enough to realize that life consists maybe in gifts, but certainly not in “gots”. For the truth about Saints like Francis of Assisi is not idyllic things like chatting with the birds and preaching to the fishes; but the real truth about them was their ability of calling nothing their own. The way to the Spirit is the way of dispossession. If the Word of God reached from Heaven to Bethlehem by way of dispossession, we have no right reach him except by the same road. Gethsemane was not possible without Bethlehem; but Bethlehem is meaningless without Gethsemane.

Now that doesn’t mean that we must run off and get ourselves measured for sackcloth and sandals. That is too simplistic a way of solving the world’s problems. There is another way for which good Biblical evidence can be found – that we may have things but not be possessed by them, for we hold them as stewards, as disposable for the good of others. So it’s a good idea, especially at a time like this to keep checking on what we can do without, to detach ourselves from created things, and to help bring about the day when words like property owning, comfortably established, and power will not mean more to us than ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven. The devastating simplicity of the Christmas story reveals this. And as for the rest, we have no right to expect a status higher than that of the carpenter’s son.

CHRIST THE KING, John 18, 33 - 37

CHRIST THE KING

John 18, 33 – 37

Introduction: Our proclamation of the kingship of Jesus is the articulate witness to what is going on within us and in our Christian community, and is also our faithful submission to the reign of Christ. The Kingdom of God, brought to us by Jesus, is the highest value a human being can realise. Our Eucharistic celebration today is a thanksgiving for the gift of the Kingdom, the royal priesthood of the baptised. We pray our Heavenly Father to bless us with his mercy that makes us fit to belong.

THE HOMILY:    St. John paints for us a dramatic scene. The Roman governor confronts a helpless prisoner. But Pilate is in a dilemma. The man before him is accused of claiming to be “King of the Jews,” a title with rebellious overtones. Scourged and bleeding, he is in obvious pain; he doesn’t look like a political hothead. Rather, the overwhelming impression is one of dignity. Despite the nightlong taunts of the soldiers and his scourging that morning, he has a regal majesty. He gives the impression not that this is the story of a man who is to be executed, but one whose last days were a triumphant procession. It does not seem to be Jesus, who is really on trial here, but Pilate and the rest. Jesus, in a position of complete powerlessness, commands the conversation. Pilate is confused, and has to admit he is confronting quite another and unheard of sort of royalty. That title “King of the Jews,” nailed above the prisoner’s head, was intended as an expression of contempt and ridicule. But Jesus has made worldly-minded kings look like fools. Kings have been associated with opulence and reckless appetites. They have been unapproachable, high and mighty, surrounded by sycophants and jesters, decked in finery, and decorated with trimmings of lordliness. Jesus, on the hand, came into the world to witness to the truth -  the truth about God, about people, about life. He will not kill for the truth, he will die for it. He will win, not by spilling others’ blood, but by offering his own. He does not dominate, muster armies, or amass possessions; he just invites, and serves, relying on nothing other than the response of the heart.

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega  -  the beginning and the end, the one who is not up in the sky controlling the world by concealed strings and laser guns, not a gaunt empty figure, distant and removed from human affairs. Rather, Jesus is intertwined with everything we do and think, and with every moment of our being. Like every good teacher and preacher, Jesus preached to himself. He was held to the word by his own sermons. As well as the bridegroom, he is the one who watches for the Kingdom’s coming with unfailing oil in his lamp. As well as the master entrusting his property, he is the servant who risks everything to gain all. As well as the king who passes judgement, he is the one who first lives by his own laws, who sees his Father’s face in the stricken faces of the suffering, and who  loves with an un-mercenary love. In terms of his own homily, he sees humanity hungry and thirsty, estranged and exposed, sick and imprisoned. And he cannot but come to our help. Why ? Because love is his nature, and compassion the divine compulsion. Jesus had to choose daily to be “true to his own name”, to his deepest nature, which is always going out of its way, relinquishing itself in unbridled trust and service. And this is the cause of action that crowns him, as it crowns us all  -  with thorns.  That is the kingly way !

A certain Japanese, Makato Ohoni, member of the Ittoen community (non-Christian) has stated: “Although my Christian uncle had failed to impress me with Christianity in my boyhood, I have since heard about the Gospels and found myself strongly drawn towards Jesus Christ. I feel very close to the breathing of Christ during his last moments on the cross. It stirs me more than many lectures and sermons. I picture him killed on the cross, all alone and surrounded by contemptuous people. Very few, I think appreciate the bliss that he must have experienced when all were against him.” An admirable statement coming from a non-Christian ! Nearer home, listen to our own great Vivekananda who said, “If I see Jesus Christ before me, I shall put my hand into my heart, extract the blood and smear it on his feet.” I personally envy Vivekananda, since he said that before I could.

Jesus and his values must be at the core of our private and public life, our individual and social life, our economic and political life. And that, not by way of sentiment but by principle. We are to demonstrate our royal dignity in all situations of life. We are to show that we are caring persons by the witness of our actions  -  by supporting campaigns of human uplift, participating in critical areas of social and economic development, housing, health care, and education. We want to do it because Jesus wanted it and still does.

This is the Person we come here to salute today on the Feast of Christ the King. Call him anything you want  -  Christ the Sultan, Christ the Pharaoh, Christ the President. It matters not at all. He is what he is  -  the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, transcendent Lord of all by nature and by conquest, the significance and end of our existence. Jesus Christ is the mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.

PRAYER (Dunstan  c. 908 – 988, Archbishop of Canterbury)

O King of Kings, blessed Redeemer; upon those who have been ransomed from the power of death, by your own blood, ever have mercy.

O noblest unbegotten, yet begotten Son, having no beginning, yet without effort (in the weakness of God) excelling all things, upon this your people in your pity, have mercy.

O sun of righteousness, in all unclouded glory, supreme dispenser of justice, in that great day when you strictly judge all nations, we earnestly beseech you, upon this your people, who here stand before your presence, in your pity, Lord, then have mercy on us.

Daniel 7:13-14
Psalm 93:1, 1-2, 5
Revelation 1:5-8
John 18:33b-37
A reflection on today's Sacred Scriptures:
Today marks the last Sunday of the Church Year. It is the Feast of Christ the King, celebrating the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds of heaven at the end of time.

Oh! How we welcome these readings this year! They give us hope that, despite the violence, wars, and crimes against humanity of our times, God's justice will prevail at the end. Just when we seem to be heading for cosmic, social, economic, and political disaster, we are reminded that God is still in charge, and that we belong to a kingdom that will never fail us, an eternal kingdom of justice, peace and love.

God speaks to us today through the writings of two great visionaries, the Old Testament prophet, Daniel, and the New Covenant writer, John. Although they are "dream visions," we can confidently believe that they carry God's inspired truth. Daniel wrote at a time of great distress for the Jews under the Greek ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes II. Such visions gave the people courage to endure, just as today's Second Reading about Jesus "coming on the clouds of heaven," encourages us!

In John's time, Christians were already suffering persecution under the Emperor Domitian. As Jesus was with the Father at the creation of the world, so will He be The One to judge all nations at the end of time. He says of Himself in John's vision, "I am the Alpha and the Omega" (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet). He is our past, our present, and our future King.

St. John’s words are so very comforting: "To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for His God and Father, to Him be the glory and the power, forever and ever. Amen."

In the Gospel, Jesus boldly affirms to Pilate that He is that Son of Man who will come on the clouds of heaven as a king. In effect, Jesus is saying, "Don't worry, Pilate. I'm not here to take your job, or to dethrone Caesar, for my kingdom is not political but spiritual. It's not on your maps!" When Jesus affirms that His whole purpose is to testify to the truth, Pilate cynically asks, "What is truth?"

If Pilate had waited for an answer, would he have believed it? Would he have dared to act on it? We can ask the same questions about today's world leaders. More to the point, how do we ourselves react to the truth that Christ is the world's universal king to whose rule all must submit before the end of the world?

This, too, is the constant message of our present spokesman for Christ our King, Pope Francis. He urges every nation on this earth to strive for justice for every one of their subjects, and to work always to end war and violence. We are assured that, at the end of time, Christ’s kingdom will rule, and evil will be overcome by His Truth. Christus Vincit, Christus Regnat, Christus Imperat!

CHRIST KING, Luke 23, 35 - 43

CHRIST KING

 Cycle “C: Luke 23, 35 – 43

 Introduction: Our proclamation of the kingship of Jesus is the articulate witness to what is going on within and in our Christian community, and is our faithful submission to the reign of Christ. The Kingdom of God, brought to us by Jesus, is the highest value a human being can realise.

Our Eucharistic celebration today is a thanksgiving for the gift of the Kingdom, the royal priesthood of the baptised. We pray our Heavenly Father to bless us with his mercy that makes us worthy to belong.

 The Homily: 

Our reading from Luke 23 might seem an odd choice for today’s celebration of Christ our King. How could a description of Jesus’ execution as a common criminal be a suitable example of his kingship?  Yet, paradoxically, it was on the cross that Jesus’ kingship was most clearly revealed. Kingship is a symbol of care and protection, springing from the love of a king for his people. His only thought is the well-being of his people to whom he belongs, constantly thoughtful of them, seeing to their needs, and heeding their petitions. Here we are not talking about a royal family, glamorous and gossiped about, moving graciously through official functions and state occasions. We are treating of a servant king who died naked on the cross. He was prepared to be stripped of his dignity, and let his life drain away from him. The inscription on the cross over his head was meant to make him look ridiculous; it was meant to lampoon his claim to being King of the Jews. But in fact it was entirely accurate; it was on the cross that Jesus was truly King of the Jews. The two criminals crucified on either side of him reacted quite differently to Jesus’ crucifixion.

 Amazingly, one of them asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingly power. Even as he watched him die a shameful death on a cross, he still had the faith to believe in his kingship. His faith is an example for us all.

Such a kingship invites us to question our priorities and ourselves. If we follow him, we will want to live his values. To repeat the lines of that hymn of Isaac Watts, “the sight of the Prince of Glory leads us to pour contempt on all our pride, to repent of our boasting, to sacrifice all the vain things that charm us most.” Under his leadership we can experience the power that overcomes sinful drives, and live with a new joy and peace. This is the kingship of the heart.

To a world that clamours for peace through domination and suppression, discipline from the barrel of a gun or silence by gagging the mouths of the protesters, Our Lord Jesus shows the way by humility and service. Human suffering, for instance, is not an occasion for pessimism but a challenge to action in the belief that the Resurrection is already operating in the dark night of pain and hopelessness. As missionaries and, indeed, as Christians, we realise that we cannot successfully proclaim the Good News from a position of superiority. We can preach the Gospel effectively only when the people to whom we are sent have the power to crucify us. Yes, and there’ll always be people who will ridicule our faith; well, consider the abuse and ridicule of the passers-by and onlookers on the first Good Friday.

But precisely in his moment of greatest weakness Christ King shows his greatest strength. The Letter to the Colossians, though brief, has a wonderful cosmic sweep. In this short, rich letter Christ is shown defeating darkness, holding all things in unity and making it possible for us “to join the saints and with them to inherit the light.” This same Christ crucified is able to overcome all divisions and rescue humankind.

This king had cabinet ministers made up of people from the financial world (Mathew), tradesmen (Peter), immigrants (Luke), and even a member of a terrorist gang (Simon, listed as “the Zealot). Jesus introduced gender balance even before the term was invented. His style was walkabout, making time to be with people who were powerless, voiceless and choice-less. He challenged the religious and spiritual powers. His Manifesto included health care for body, mind and spirit. He would use his Nazareth Manifesto as a checklist -  good news to the poor, sight the blind, wings to jailbirds, debt cancellation programme to introduce the day of Jubilee. The credit card companies would be after his blood.

His communication skills would be second to none. He was master of the sound-bite, with more bite than sound. Jesus would ask the awkward questions. Those of us who are part of the religious establishment  -  ministers and elders  -  would have a rough time playing power games in the name of God. Jesus’ overall aim would be to create a community that would be shaped by God’s way of doing things.

But his popularity would be short-lived. His term of office didn’t go beyond three years: cut short in his prime by a violent death that was manoeuvred by priests and politicians. He died in public disgrace at the hands of the media smear machine. People wanted to make him king. He refused. He was already writing a new script for the notions of king, kingdom and authority. He would not fit the popular mould. He was moulding another way. He would carry a Cross before wearing a Crown.

The American Indians labelled Jesus as “The Little Buffalo Calf of God” because he nourished and sustained their bodies and spirit. An African tribe describes him as “the serpent that moves through the forest without fear.” In the Andes in South America, the people like to picture him as a weeping child removing a thorn from the sole of his foot. His tears help them better to understand how he shares their human condition. The thorn in the foot reminds them of his passion and suffering for their salvation. This is the Christ whom they feel very comfortable with. He is one of their own, and belongs.

Hopefully, he will become one of our own too.

  

PRAYER (Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury. c. 908 – 988)

O Lord, O gentle Son of Mary free;

O King of Kings, blessed Redeemer,

upon those who have been ransomed from the power of death,

by your own blood, ever have mercy.

O noblest unbegotten, yet begotten Son, having no beginning,

yet without effort (in the weakness of God) excelling all things,

upon this your people in your pity, Lord have mercy.

O Son of righteousness, in all unclouded glory,

supreme dispenser of justice,

in that great day when you strictly judge all nations,

we earnestly beseech you, upon this your people, who here stand before your presence, in your pity, Lord, then have mercy on us.

CHRIST THE KING, Mt. 25, 31 - 46

CHRIST THE KING

Mt. 25, 31-46

Introduction:   Our proclamation of the kingship of Jesus is the articulate witness to what is going on within us and in our Christian community, and is our faithful submission to the reign of Christ. The Kingdom of God, brought to us by Jesus, is the highest value a human being can realise.

Our Eucharist celebration today is a thanksgiving for the gift of the Kingdom, the royal priesthood of the baptised. We pray our Heavenly Father to bless us with his mercy that makes us fit to belong.

THE HOMILY

Today’s Gospel is a powerful piece of Scripture.  I’d like to recall that this very passage was proclaimed in the Netaji stadium in Calcutta at the funeral service for Mother Teresa on 13th. September 1997. Mother Teresa used to say that the five fingers of each hand reminded her at the end of each day of the five words which summarises the call of Christ, and that whatever use those hands had been put to in the past few hours  “you...did...it...to...me.”  The call of Jesus to match our lifestyle with faith prompted her to rewrite the Divine Praises. After, “Blessed be Jesus in the Most Sacrament of the Altar,” she added, “Blessed be Jesus in the poorest of the poor.” Whatever Jesus did Mother tried to follow.

            The Gospel makes the point that Christ’s kingship is based not on position, privilege or power but service, love and compassion.....the love that is prepared to lay down even life itself for another.  One day a very ill person was picked up quite routinely from the streets of Calcutta and brought to the Sisters’ house. Mother Teresa happened to be in and she could see that the poor man would be dead in a few hours. What could anyone do for him ?  What did Mother do ? She took out a pair of nail clippers and pared the dying man’s toe nails. Within a few hours it would have made no material difference whether his toe nails were clipped or not. But it would make all the difference for eternity for this man that he was treated humanly, with compassion. That is the kingly way !

            In verse 40 of today’s Gospel, the good  deeds (feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, etc.) are not directed at humanity in general but at the least of these my brethren. The term “least” is also used to refer to the disciples; and here’s the vital point: Jesus equates acceptance of his disciples with acceptance of himself. “And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. So “the nations” will be judged based on their response to Jesus as demonstrated by their response to his disciples, not merely as individuals, but as messengers of Jesus.

            The watchword of the kingdom is service. That is why the smallest act of kindness extended to someone for Christ’s sake is of such high value.  On the leaflet of a certain parish there was printed this indictment: “I was hungry, and your formed a humanitarian club and discussed my hunger. I was imprisoned, and you crept off to your chapel and prayed for my release. I was naked, and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance. I was sick, and you knelt and thanked God for your health. I was homeless, and you preached to me the spiritual shelter of the love of God.  I was lonely and you left me alone to go and pray for me. You seem so holy, so close to God. But I am still very hungry and cold and lonely.”

Like every good teacher and preacher, Jesus preached to himself. He was held to the word by his own homilies. As well as the bridegroom he is the one who watches for the Kingdom’s coming with unfailing oil in his lamp. As well as the master entrusting his property he is the servant who risks everything to gain all.  As well as the king who passes judgement he is the one who first lives by his own laws, who sees his Father’s face in the stricken faces of the suffering, and who is moved by an un-mercenary love. In terms of his own homily he sees humanity hungry and thirsty, estranged and exposed, sick and imprisoned. And he cannot but come to our help. Why ?  Because love is his nature, compassion the divine compulsion. Jesus had to choose daily to be “true to his own name, to his deepest nature, which is always going out of its way, relinquishing itself in unbridled trust and service. And this is the cause of action which crowns him, as it crowns us all  -  with thorns.

The sheer magnificence of the Teacher is that there are almost as many pictures of him as there are minds to works them up. Africans paint him black, Indians brown, Caucasians white, Orientals olive. And they are all on target, for he is personal property of everyone. A certain unknown author wrote this description of the Master that is popular among college students. Beneath the picture of a macho-looking Christ runs this message: “Jesus, also known as Christ, wanted on charges of sedition, criminal anarchy, vagrancy, and instigating overthrow of established government. Dresses poorly, uses carpentry as cover. Has visionary ideas. Associates with common working people, unemployed, drinks wine. Has variety of aliases: Prince of Peace, Son of Man, Light of the world, Resurrection and Life, etc..Full beard, and scars on his hands and feet as result of injuries inflicted by angry mob led by respectable citizens and local authorities.”  Paradoxically, though, no one is surprised that he remains his own man.

This is the Person we come here to salute today on the feast of Christ the King. Call him anything you want  -  Christ the Sultan, Christ the President, Christ the Pharaoh. It matters not at all. He is what he is  -  the Son of God, the Second Person in the Trinity, transcendent Lord of the universe.  Christ is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.

PRAYER:  (Charles Kingsley  1819 - 1875):

Lift up our hearts, O Christ, above the false show of things, above laziness and fear, above selfishness and greed, above whim and fashion, up to the everlasting Truth that you are, that so we may live joyfully and freely, in the faith that you are our King and our Judge, and that, so long as we are loyal to you, all will ultimately be well.

WOE TO YOU, BLIND ADVOCATES

BLIND ADVOCATES

 

Matthew 23:23-24  Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices - mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. (NIVUK)
 

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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages

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Christless religion always tends towards legalism and inconsistency. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for the being blind advocates of heaven. They did not understand God's law and yet they micro-managed the people to give one tenth of all that came into their home. In particular they seized on the herbs and spices which were mentioned in Leviticus 27:30. It was easy to demand ten percent of the herbs grown by the synagogue congregation. But they did not bother to ensure that their social priorities and business ethics pleased God. They had lost God's big picture and could only focus on the little things they could measure.

Jesus was not knocking the principle of tithing, but was distressed that they could not see the purpose of tithing - to provide for the poor. God wants His people to experience justice (1 Samuel 2:3) for He is the ultimate Judge. Mercy and faithfulness are two of the component ideas behind Hesed [Chesed] - that great Hebrew word which describes God's character (often expressed as loving-kindness). It sets the gold standard for His children's behaviour, and was demonstrated in the life of the Lord Jesus.

It is right to tithe and make gifts, and offerings on top of that, but when all that is done God is looking for more. Not a greater quantity of herbs but a different quality of life - where a personal concern for justice has top priority among believers. The widows and orphans should be cared for (James 1:27), the poor, oppressed, bereaved, prisoners and broken-hearted should find God's favour (Isaiah 61:1-3) and those who have no hope hear the gospel (Matthew 11:5).

Some Christians seem only to care about the Word while others are immersed in social action. Jesus said that both are necessary. James said that faith without action is a dead thing (James 2:26). Trusting in Jesus, and learning to live like Him, gives the reason for the action; and kind actions are a natural expression of that belief. It is a trap for modern day believers to select one or the other, for both are essential: otherwise the Bible teachers become blind advocates ... and the social activists are blind guides pointing people to a better life now, forgetting that eternity is the goal for us and the ultimate purpose is for God to get the glory.

Prayer:  All-seeing God. Thank You for the big picture of Your loving kindness which You want Your people to share with the world. Forgive me for the times when I have been obsessed with little things without seeing the purpose for which they are designed. Help me to have a heart like Yours, to do my duty in giving and also to give myself to other people in sacrificial service. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
 

'DAD, ARE YOU REALLY GONE"? All Soul's Day

             "DAD, ARE YOU REALLY GONE?"
I am writing these words on a Monday. I've just come from delivering the
message at a funeral for an old friend, a member of the local church...Don's service today was a fitting tribute to a great man. In the foyer just outside, his four grown daughters had created a display that did him proud. But one item stole the show...It was a poem written shortly after he died, by one of his daughters, now a mother herself. As people...stopped to read that centerpiece...virtually every one of them struggled to hold back their tears. Many didn't succeed. I didn't. Here is what we read:
Dad, are you really gone?
I'm certain I was there when you took your last breath.
Yet it seems your life is still speaking so loud and clear.

Are you really gone?
I can see you in my childhood days.
Always taking care of us, letting our lives as children
Be as God intended: carefree, happy and adventurous, joyful.

Are you really gone?
I can see your smile and your fatherly wink
As I feel your familiar and vigorous hug.
I can see the joy in your face as your grandchildren
embrace you and you turn to me without hesitation
And say, "You're a good mother, I'm proud of you."

Are you really gone?
I can see you so clear, a man of God, a devoted father,
A loving husband, a church leader, a friend.
I can hear you say, "It's good to be alive,"
As you enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Are you really gone?
I can see your Christian influence woven into the decisions of
my life and it is only by your confident example that I can say,
You'll never really be gone from us.
And I can now hear our heavenly Father say to you,
"Welcome, good and faithful servant,
Enter into the joy I have prepared for you."

It doesn't get any better than that. No medal, ribbon, or citation
even remotely compares to the deep, abiding love and respect
of a daughter or son.
_______________________________________________________

Today is ALL SOULS DAY. It is a time for remembering our dearly
departed ones. For as long as our fond memories of them dwell in
us they cannot die -- they are not really gone. In our hearts they are
living still as passing years go by.

ALL SAINTS' DAY

The Saints go marching on 

During the Second World War, six million Jews perished in the Nazi death camps. That number would have been greater, but happily, at least 500,000 were rescued or protected by ordinary people. They were quite ordinary people, in fact, for the most part, individualists  -  they did not usually do what society demanded, for example, to share in the almost universal hatred of the Jews. They just got into the habit of doing good, finding themselves responding first to a need and only second to the danger, and believing that the gift of goodness could be passed on. If you perceive sainthood as an undesirable attribute or think of saints as one-dimensional shadows of real human beings, you probably have never met cantankerous Saint Jerome or firebrand Saint John the Baptist, anxious and tormented Padre Pio or wry Saint Teresa, joke-cracking bishop Saint Laurence O’Toole or achingly grateful Saint Mary Magdalene, brainy and poetic Saint Thomas Aquinas or indomitable Saint Catherine of Siena, moody Saint Augustine, playful Saint Therese or mad Saint John of God. When Jesus came upon them, they realised that they had been missing out in life. Other saints gave up lucrative careers to become poor in the Lord, like Francis Xavier who became a great missionary. One can think of the young troubadour Francesco. He is known as “the sweet saint” who discovered what “la dolce vita” meant when lived with the Lord. Other saints simply lived by their convictions and remained steadfast in challenging circumstances. Thus, Thomas More, who had received Catholic education like any other lad, and lived by it even if it meant disagreeing with King Henry VIII. From the ashes of Teresa da Ahumada rose the great Teresa of Jesus (of Avila).Perhaps you did not know that among the saints there are people who, rather than being meek and mild, are rather furious. Among the saints there are also great wits, addle-brained dreamers, foolish oafs, mischievous curmudgeons, radical crusaders, shy artists, and passionate poets. There are housewives and kings, tax agents and lawyers (yes, lawyers!), bakers and erstwhile brigands. But in this diverse bunch of souls for Christ, there are common characteristics. All the saints share certain virtues - a yearning for holiness, an intimacy with God, perseverance in prayer, humility of heart, and love of their fellow men and women, that is, charity of soul. There is a universal hunger for examples of goodness and bravery, and it needs to be nourished and cultivated. Children are spontaneous with goodness and love. God’s kingdom is the place of natural, easy-flowing goodness. That is the stuff of sainthood, or at least the beginning of it. The saints began that way, too, finding out the truth about themselves, the world and God.  For that priceless pearl they marched out of step with the assumptions of their society. They marched to a different drummer, named Jesus Christ. “Blessed are the poor, the meek, and those who suffer for justice sake.” The world considers these mad slogans, because the order of the day is pleasure, excitement, evasion of duty, the race for power, and a refusal to face the truth. Society is sick, not the saints mad!  The saints were human, indeed. Jesus has shown that the divine and the human can run on the same tether, so that body and spirit pull in the same direction, and the human can live perfectly in the presence of the divine. From mere dust the body, energised by the spirit, becomes star dust!  Saints’ lives have taught people to change from being mere receivers to great givers. And the saints cared chiefly for the best kind of giving which is called thanksgiving. They knew that the praise of God stands on the strongest ground when it stands on nothing; and God is too great for anything but gratitude.

ALL SOULS' DAY

                                                      ALL SOULS’ DAY

PENITENTIAL RITE:

Today’s commemoration is an extension of yesterday’s feast, since the faithful departed also belong to the Communion of Saints. The only difference is that our dear departed are shadowed over by our human sense of temporary separation and loss.

So as we prayerfully remember our parents, brothers and sisters, teachers and friends, we pray the Lord to spare us the torture of the memory of our sins at the hour of our death.

All Souls' Day

It is All Souls’ Day. Let us listen to the dear departed’s entreaties for our prayers and Masses on their behalf. Here is one such entreaty:

“It is All Souls’ Day

Have you forgotten me, dear earthly friends?

Have you a prayer to spare for one you once loved well?

Do you still remember the happy hours we spent together in the past?

Have you forgotten the scalding tears you wept when I was dead?

The promises you breathed over my still form?

The Masses you had intended to have offered up for me?

Across the eternal silence I lean forward now to remind you!

Think of me, help me, and when your last hour comes,

you will find your goodness to me has not been in vain.

For the dead forget not; the dead are never untrue;

 they live forever in the changeless love of God,

which permeates all, sanctifies all, immortalises all.

The flowers of his heaven are your fervent prayers!

For your loved and seeming lost, then,

make a wreath of them for me to lay at his holy feet.”

(From “Prayers of an Irish mother”)

            When we who are now on earth have died, we will in our turn need to make that entreaty. During our brief sojourn here we remember the departed. This age-old tradition of praying for the dead is rooted in the early Church’s trust in the mercy of God and faith in a personal resurrection with Jesus Christ. We pray for the faithful who are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; though after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. We don’t quite know the nature of this purification, but it certainly has to do with the advent of God’s purifying love.

Today’s commemoration is, in fact, an extension of yesterday’s Feast of All Saints’, since the faithful departed also belong to the Communion of Saints, which is animated and electrified by divine love. It is a truth that is based on the teaching of Scripture, namely, that the Church is Christ’s body. Christ has only one body, not one on earth and another in heaven. Christians are not separated from one another by a death that makes no difference to their love and service of one another. The moment they closed their eyes to this world and opened them to the light of eternity, all was suffused in the love of God and the saints, and in a flash they were rejuvenated forever. Such is the advent of the purifying love of God.

            One day, during a catechism class on All Saint’s Day, the teacher asked, “Who or what are the saints?”  One youngster stood up and happened to look at the stained glass window that had a saint portrayed, with the sunlight streaming through. The little fellow got a bright idea and answered, “The saints are those who let in the sunlight.” Splendid answer, the teacher thought. The saints let the light of Christ into our life by their prayer and example. But what happens when there is no sunlight, when the outside is dark and we are seated in a well lit church? That is when we send our light and prayer to our friends in the semi-darkness as they walk towards the pearly gates. They are grateful for our prayers and sacrifices that serve as so many points of light on their way to the perpetual light of the Heavenly Jerusalem. And as they march in they hear the words of the prophet Jeremiah, Chapter 31: “I have loved you. I will guard you as a shepherd guards his flock. They will come and sing for joy on Mt. Sion. I will turn their mourning into joy.” And from the book of Revelation, Chapter One: I turned round to see who was speaking to me, and when I turned, I saw.....one like a Son of Man, dressed in a long white robe tied at the waist with a belt of gold. His head and hair were white with the whiteness of wool like snow, his eyes like a burning flame, his feet like burnished bronze when it has been refined in a furnace. His face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him I fell at his feet as though dead, but he laid his hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid...I was, and look...I am alive for ever and ever. Look at my hands and feet; it’s me. Touch me and feel secure.”

PRAYER

Lord God, we thank you for your ineffable gift of eternal life in you. We thank you for inviting us to pray for our loved ones who wait to enter there. Grant them a speedy entrance into your joy forever. We beg to intercede also for those who have no one to pray for them. Grant them eternal rest.  Amen.

ALL SOULS’ DAY 2017

Lord, grant that the greater harvest

Which we came on earth to save,

May be golden and ripe for the reaping

‘Ere we go the lonely grave;

That our souls in the last dread autumn

May be clean as the hill and lea,

When we bring life’s grain to the haggard

and offer it all to thee.

O great and merciful God,

We praise and thank you

that you have brought our dearest parents,

 brothers, sisters, and friends,

at their last awakening,

into your house and gate of heaven,

to enter into that gate

and dwell in that house

where shall be no darkness nor dazzling,

but one equal light,

no noise nor silence, but one equal music,

no fears nor hopes, but one equal possession,

no ends nor beginnings, but one equal eternity

in the habitations of your glory and dominion,

where there is continuous happiness

and profounder joy in your presence

wherein they see you as you are,

for ever and ever. Amen.

MISSION SUNDAY MESSAGE 2014

MESSAGE OF POPE FRANCIS
FOR WORLD MISSION DAY 2014

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today vast numbers of people still do not know Jesus Christ. For this reason, the mission ad gentes continues to be most urgent. All the members of the Church are called to participate in this mission, for the Church is missionary by her very nature: she was born “to go forth”. World Mission Day is a privileged moment when the faithful of various continents engage in prayer and concrete gestures of solidarity in support of the young Churches in mission lands. It is a celebration of grace and joy. A celebration of grace, because the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father, offers wisdom and strength to those who are obedient to his action. A celebration of joy, because Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, sent to evangelize the world, supports and accompanies our missionary efforts. This joy of Jesus and missionary disciples leads me to propose a biblical icon, which we find in the Gospel of Luke (cf. 10:21-23) .

1. The Evangelist tells us that the Lord sent the seventy-two disciples two by two into cities and villages to proclaim that the Kingdom of God was near, and to prepare people to meet Jesus. After carrying out this mission of preaching, the disciples returned full of joy: joy is a dominant theme of this first and unforgettable missionary experience. Yet the divine Master told them: “Do not rejoice because the demons are subject to you; but rejoice because your names are written in heaven. At that very moment Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said: ‘I give you praise, Father...’ And, turning to the disciples in private he said, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see’” (Lk 10:20-21, 23).

Luke presents three scenes. Jesus speaks first to his disciples, then to the Father, and then again to the disciples. Jesus wanted to let the disciples share his joy, different and greater than anything they had previously experienced.

2. The disciples were filled with joy, excited about their power to set people free from demons. But Jesus cautioned them to rejoice not so much for the power they had received, but for the love they had received, “because your names are written in heaven” (Lk10:20). The disciples were given an experience of God’s love, but also the possibility of sharing that love. And this experience is a cause for gratitude and joy in the heart of Jesus. Luke saw this jubilation in a perspective of the trinitarian communion: “Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit”, turning to the Father and praising him. This moment of deep joy springs from Jesus’ immense filial love for his Father, Lord of heaven and earth, who hid these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to the childlike (cf. Lk10:21). God has both hidden and revealed, and in this prayer of praise it is his revealing which stands out. What is it that God has revealed and hidden? The mysteries of his Kingdom, the manifestation of divine lordship in Jesus and the victory over Satan.

God has hidden this from those who are all too full of themselves and who claim to know everything already. They are blinded by their presumptuousness and they leave no room for God. One can easily think of some of Jesus’ contemporaries whom he repeatedly admonished, but the danger is one that always exists and concerns us too. The “little ones”, for their part, are the humble, the simple, the poor, the marginalized, those without voice, those weary and burdened, whom Jesus pronounced “blessed”. We readily think of Mary, Joseph, the fishermen of Galilee and the disciples whom Jesus called as he went preaching.

3. “Yes, Father, for such has been your gracious will” (Lk 10:21). These words of Jesus must be understood as referring to his inner exultation. The word “gracious” describes the Father’s saving and benevolent plan for humanity. It was this divine graciousness that made Jesus rejoice, for the Father willed to love people with the same love that he has for his Son. Luke also alludes to the similar exultation of Mary: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit exults in God my Savior” (Lk 1:47). This is the Good News that leads to salvation. Mary, bearing in her womb Jesus, the evangelizer par excellence, met Elizabeth and rejoiced in the Holy Spirit as she sang her Magnificat. Jesus, seeing the success of his disciples’ mission and their resulting joy, rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and addressed his Father in prayer. In both cases, it is joy for the working of salvation, for the love with which the Father loves his Son comes down to us, and through the Holy Spirit fills us and grants us a share in the trinitarian life.

The Father is the source of joy. The Son is its manifestation, and the Holy Spirit its giver. Immediately after praising the Father, so the evangelist Matthew tells us, Jesus says: “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden light” (Mt 11:28-30). “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew” (Evangelii Gaudium, 1).

The Virgin Mary had a unique experience of this encounter with Jesus, and thus became “causa nostrae laetitiae”. The disciples, for their part, received the call to follow Jesus and to be sent by him to preach the Gospel (cf. Mk 3:14), and so they were filled with joy. Why shouldn’t we too enter this flood of joy?4.

 “The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience” (Evangelii Gaudium, 2). Humanity greatly needs to lay hold of the salvation brought by Christ. His disciples are those who allow themselves to be seized ever more by the love of Jesus and marked by the fire of passion for the Kingdom of God and the proclamation of the joy of the Gospel. All the Lord’s disciples are called to nurture the joy of evangelization. The Bishops, as those primarily responsible for this proclamation, have the task of promoting the unity of the local Church in her missionary commitment. They are called to acknowledge that the joy of communicating Jesus Christ is expressed in a concern to proclaim him in the most distant places, as well as in a constant outreach to the peripheries of their own territory, where great numbers of the poor are waiting for this message.

Many parts of the world are experiencing a dearth of vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life. Often this is due to the absence of contagious apostolic fervour in communities which lack enthusiasm and thus fail to attract. The joy of the Gospel is born of the encounter with Christ and from sharing with the poor. For this reason I encourage parish communities, associations and groups to live an intense fraternal life, grounded in love for Jesus and concern for the needs of the most disadvantaged. Wherever there is joy, enthusiasm and a desire to bring Christ to others, genuine vocations arise. Among these vocations, we should not overlook lay vocations to mission. There has been a growing awareness of the identity and mission of the lay faithful in the Church, as well as a recognition that they are called to take an increasingly important role in the spread of the Gospel. Consequently they need to be given a suitable training for the sake of an effective apostolic activity.

5. “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). World Mission Day is also an occasion to rekindle the desire and the moral obligation to take joyful part in the mission ad gentes. A monetary contribution on the part of individuals is the sign of a self-offering, first to the Lord and then to others; in this way a material offering can become a means for the evangelization of humanity built on love.

Dear brothers and sisters, on this World Mission Day my thoughts turn to all the local Churches. Let us not be robbed of the joy of evangelization! I invite you to immerse yourself in the joy of the Gospel and nurture a love that can light up your vocation and your mission. I urge each of you to recall, as if you were making an interior pilgrimage, that “first love” with which the Lord Jesus Christ warmed your heart, not for the sake of nostalgia but in order to persevere in joy. The Lord’s disciples persevere in joy when they sense his presence, do his will and share with others their faith, hope and evangelical charity.

Let us pray through the intercession of Mary, the model of humble and joyful evangelization, that the Church may become a welcoming home, a mother for all peoples and the source of rebirth for our world.

From the Vatican, 8 June 2014, the Solemnity of Pentecost

FRANCIS