Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Spring is now in full bloom and summer is around the bend. Watching the new growth appear has been awesome, but it feels like in the blink of an eye this new growth that given way to an over-abundance of uncontrolled growth. So it seems that it is time to trim the bushes even earlier than usual. I trim them now so that new growth does not go uncontrolled, but ultimately the pruning will call forth new life. We see this also in the flowers like geraniums that we must dead-head in order to have more flowers come forth.
Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter
We often think of peace as the absence of something negative. For instance, peace can be the absence of stress, the absence of anger, and especially the absence of violence. All of these forms of peace are important and true. The world would certainly be better off if there was more of it. At the same time, none of these are the full measure of Christian peace, precisely because they defined by absence. Christian peace is a positive peace. It is a full, active, and transformed peace accomplished in and through Christ. More than absence, it is a peace of presence. Today’s readings help us understand peace positively.
Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter
I teach junior high students religious education at our church. Because these young people are entering a stage in their lives where they are beginning to become reflective and inquisitive, our discussions can sometimes be very lively. At one point, they questioned me to help them grasp what we mean when we say we believe in the Holy Trinity. Although I tried to use words as best I could to help them better understand, in the end I said that the Trinity was beyond our human understanding- it was a mystery.
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Twice in my life that I have made major moves - in 1983, I left home to join the seminary and then in 1999, I left India for Europe and then the United States. Like most of you, I am an adventurist. I love new places, tasting exotic foods and I welcome new experiences. Most of the time, though, my new experiences end up being bitter-sweet. Sweet because I enjoy every new experience; bitter because I want my family to experience what I experience. I clearly remember standing under the Eiffel Tower at the turn of the millennium. It was the most electrifying moment. When the Eiffel Tower broke out into the most spectacular fireworks, I called home from a pay phone. And I remember saying to mom and dad, “I wish you were here with me.” It was the same when I visited New York City. I stood night in the middle of Times Square and called home from a pay phone. And I promised them that one day, I would bring them here to see what I am seeing. I delivered on my promise. My parents have been to the United States not once but twice. And I took them from New York, to DC to Philadelphia to Florida. On the one hand, it was about seeing places they have only seen in books and magazines. On the other hand, it is about being together with them in the same place. Similarly, when mom and dad visited places in India and Europe that I have not visited, they would always say to me, “I wish you were here with us.”
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter
“The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” This is the closing line of today’s first reading. It is optimistic and uplifting. Thinking back on the days that I’ve been filled with joy, I can recall my wedding, the day Ignatius was born, the day my godson was baptized, and a number of other special occasions. My list of joy filled days includes achievements, milestones, and celebrations. My list, however, does not include rejection, persecution, failure, and expulsion from region I was trying to help. So what provided joy despite the circumstances for the disciples? I want to propose three things that that might allow us to face seeming failures with joy and grace.
Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter
In the last four weeks since Easter, we have been following the story of the early Church. Recent readings have emphasized the importance of the inclusion of the Gentiles. But today we hear Paul preaching in a synagogue at the invitation of local synagogue officials. How interesting! Christianity was now unambiguously open to Gentiles in the eyes of the early Church, and yet, Paul had not given up on sharing the message of the Jewish Messiah with the Jews. Moreover, Paul and companions remained comfortable in the synagogue, which had been their place of prayer for their entire lives.
Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle
The NFL football draft just happened this past week. Players and spectators are on pins and needles as they await who will be picked next. In today’s reading the Apostles are having a draft of their own. Imagine being Barsabbas or Matthias waiting to see which will be chosen. Do they want this job? Are they excited or are they terrified?
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
There is an interesting tension in today’s readings. One on hand, we see the power of the Gospel to transcend vast differences. On the other hand, we see the rejection its truth regardless of how many times it is spoken. We certainly live in troubled times. Truthful Words and deeds from faithful men and women are often met with skepticism, even their truthfulness seems plainly clear. Today’s readings challenge us to rejoice in the Gospel when we encounter it with openness and grace.
Monday of the 4th Week of Easter
Yesterday was Good Shepherd Sunday and today’s Gospel is a continuation of that particular discourse in the Gospel of John. While reading this along with the first reading from Acts I kept thinking about how inclusiveness is such a foundational element of Jesus’ life and mission. When I reflect on how I can live out this particular element of Christian discipleship I am overwhelmed by all the opportunities I have each day to be inclusive of others and, at the same time, convicted by how many of those God given opportunities I allow to pass me by.
Fourth Sunday of Easter & Mother's Day
Most of you know that recently I had a surgery. I received much love from parishioners and friends during this time. But there was one person who suffered my pain with me – my mother. Being far away from Dayton and unable to see me or care for me during my recovery was devastatingly painful for her. The day before the surgery, she reminded me of an incident when I first left home to enter the seminary. I was barely seventeen. Leaving home to go the seminary was the most difficult call I answered. This decision was even more difficult because I would not see my family for two long years. My mother and I suffered the most. My mother was very proud and supportive of my decision but it was as if her son was being snatched away from her. My parents came with me to Bangalore (about 850 miles my home) to drop me off. They stayed with me a few days and then the day came for them to return home. I think this was the most difficult day of our lives. That morning we attended mass at the chapel in the seminary. When everybody had left the chapel, my dad, mom and I remained in the chapel. We were all choking. I guess each of us was still pondering what all this meant. Hanging on the wall of the chapel was a picture of the Mother of Perpetual Help. The legend behind the picture is that as a little child, Jesus had a vision of his impending passion and death. In fear he ran into his mother who picked him up to console him. In the picture, this is symbolized by Jesus’ falling sandals. Perhaps my mother sensed my apprehensions. She took me in front of the picture of the Mother of Perpetual Help. We stood there is stunned silence. None of us could say a word without bursting into tears. And then, gathering the courage only a mother can, she said to me, “Thus far I have been your mother.” And then pointing to Mary she said, “From now on, SHE is your mother.” The day before my surgery, she entrusted me to Mary one more time.
Saturday of the Third Week of Easter
Four weeks ago, my best friend Ryan Mahle covered my Saturday reflection for me because my wife and I were at the hospital having our son, Ignatius. Now, I get to cover for Ryan as he and his wife come home from the hospital with their second son, Isaac. So now is a fitting time to reflect on today’s gospel and an important lesson that Ryan has taught me. He reached out to me with a view of Christian brotherhood that I had never encountered. His attitude conveyed to me the challenge of the Christian life, and that is what I want to spend time on today. That challenge is captured in today’s gospel and I want to examine it from three questions that appear in John.
Friday of the Third Week of Easter
“What IS the Good News, anyway?” This is a question that I first asked years ago, when I had some doubts about whether Christianity could be true. I wondered, back then: "What could the Good News possibly have to do with me 2000 years later?" Christians see Easter as very good, because of the resurrection – but this good news does require us to pause and consider how the resurrection of Jesus’ body might relate to us, in our world. Today’s readings help us do just that – take time to pause and reflect on the resurrection and its meaning for us today.
Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
The New Testament reading about Philip’s encounter with the eunuch is a story that we can all relate to. In this reading there are four important parts: First, Philip is nudged by the Holy Spirit to go and share his faith. Then Philip listens to this nudging and approaches the man. Philip shares all that he knows and believes. Finally, both Philip and the eunuch’s lives were changed by this encounter.
Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
During the Easter season, the most joyous season of the Church year, there are still funerals. Though the church is decorated with flowers, and other reminders of Easter joy, we know of those who are suffering. Many in the pews are in the midst of facing the loss of a job, or struggling through the pain of a shattered friendship, or even journeying with a loved one who is near death. Sometimes the joy of the resurrection is more difficult to encounter when times get tough.
Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
Today we hear the story of the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen. We also hear Jesus calling himself the “bread of life,” as he references the life-sustaining bread given by God to the Israelites in the desert. The writer of the Acts of the Apostles is commonly thought to be the writer of the Gospel of Luke. Acts is like “Chapter 2” of the two-part series. The writer does something remarkable with the story of Stephen. As Stephen is being stoned, the writer quotes him saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He also quotes Stephen saying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Anyone who has read or heard the Passion narratives knows what the writer is doing: he is comparing what Stephen is undergoing to what Christ underwent. Furthermore, when Christ calls out to God the Father, Stephen cries out to God himself.
Monday of the Third Week of Easter
Work is a part of our lives. Everyone works- children do schoolwork, parents do house work, and adults have jobs outside of the home. So does God work? According to Jesus, He does. Jesus says, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” (John 6: 29) So our faith in Jesus is the work of God. The Father sends Jesus to bring His love, hope and salvation to the world, and the Father wants us to believe in Him. The Father works to help us believe in His Son, since this is the pathway to the forgiveness of our sins, and this is how we are brought back into relationship with God. God’s work has been occurring since the time of the fall of Adam and Eve, because God has always wanted to bring us back to Him. The work of God offers to all people the opportunity to believe. Our work is to say “yes” and to choose to follow Jesus. Our “yes” allows others to come to know Jesus and believe in HIm through our witness, and therefore we become a part of the “work of God”.
Third Sunday of Easter
I am sure that you have had heard enough about Donald Sterling, the owner of LA Clippers. I am also sure that you do not want to hear more about it from the pulpit. I promise you I am not going to torture you with Sterling’s racist comments. This is what baffles me, however. I just cannot comprehend that in this time and age, people have with such prejudiced, bigoted and myopic vision of humanity. Are we not civilized enough to know that color is only skin deep? How long before we look at a person’s color, nationality, religion or gender and assign that person basic human dignity and respect? When will we learn to look at humanity the way God sees us? How do people miss the big picture?
Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
My wife is currently learning the ropes of juggling being a mom, a food source, a pillow, and taking care of herself. She simultaneously has begun to experience the overwhelming feeling that she is not doing everything “right”. Her concerns range from: is our three week old son sleeping enough and eating enough to are we creating a monster by rocking him to sleep every time or is that a battle fought another day. All of these thoughts cross my mind occasionally, but for Bess, especially when the sleep deprivation kicks in, they can plague her. It is at those times that all I can do is take Ignatius off her hands for a while and tell her, “Don’t sell yourself short”. I think Philip provides a similar lesson today.