Telling the laity what a priest should do!

 The paradox of this evening's Mass on the occasion of Maundy Thursday was the sermon!  The Priest spent 90% of the time speaking about how a priest should be! What should be a priest's attitude? How should a priest carry out his pastoral ministry? What a priest should do and not do? ... on and on he went! 

And whom was he preaching to? Over 2000 lay people, mostly families with small children.  If at all he were to have preached his one hour sermon turning around facing the four priests who were on the altar, it would have made some sense.  No!! He gave us, non-priests, a full dose on how a priest should be!  

That's called brains! It is akin to berating those present in the Church about those absent! And still we religious want people to attend Church services and pay attention! 

Job satisfaction and fulfilment

 Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with one of our former staff.  Although he had resigned, he was still on board for selected but scattered tasks that we asked him to come on board.  So far so good. 

The discussion began about our present work condition and I thought he was keen to know how things work within the organisation.  However, sooner than later he stopped me and said, I came to basically share with you my difficulties!  I didn't see that coming.  Nonetheless I listened to him and very soon realised he was looking for some challenging role and responsibility.  He wasn't asking. He wasn't demanding. He was placing himself before me and asking me to challenge him with a task.  He wanted that thrill of being felt useful and capable.  He wished to pour out his energies into something that others had failed at or feared handling or proved incapable of completing.  

Later in the night I discussed what I had in mind for this particular individual with the others in my organisation core team.  They were more than excited about how perfect a fit it was: the man, given his capacity and experience, and the task/role I proposed. 

I guess it is not always about money or fame.  At times and more than we like to think of it, a job is not merely a monetary source - it is a vital source of meaning and fulfilment in one's life.  And I hope and pray that more and more of us priests and religious see our life and service as meaningful and fulfilling rather than anything else. 

Vocation and service

 A poster created by the INB vocation promotion team. Quite apt on the occasion of Maundy Thursday.

Mandate to ...?

Feast of the foot-washing!  I'm sure Fr Maliekal would be first in line to rename the day for this title!  And he has his very valid and contextual reasons for doing so.  

The Maundy Thursday mandate can be interpreted in multiple ways.  Service, being one of the them. But it is not service merely because the other is in need that I reach out, rather I reach out because I love the other.  In the case of the former, the situation of the other prompts me to action, not my own conviction. The context of the other changes for good and in all probability the person falls off my radar.  Whereas in the latter, I love the other no matter what his or her condition is.  

Moreover, when service is an outcome of love, I do not have to have great wealth or assets to do service ("Give us a project or funds and only then we can do something!").  Love propels me to be creative in reaching out.  

Interchange Jesus and Daniel

 A couple of weeks ago there was this reading where we hear of the trial of Susanna and the smart judicial move of Daniel, the young prophet.  The same day Gospel narrated of the incident where Jesus defends the woman caught in adultery.  

Attributed to François-Guillaume Méneageot circa 1779

All through the Mass that day and for a couple of days I couldn't get a particular weird imagery that flashed across my mind: what if the two, Jesus and Daniel, were to be interchanged! Would the incidents unfold the same way as we read them in the Bible?  In other words, would Jesus have forgiven the two corrupt officials, rather than them being sentenced to death.  Would Daniel have scripted the woman to now throw stones at the men gathered to put her to death, or atleast the one(s) who forced her into prostitution or adultery?  

Perhaps this has been plaguing my mind, since I too am faced with a similar situation wherein I need to take a stand.  However, I have in a way made up my mind... after much tussle and inner turmoil.  

More than the final outcome of the incidents with the interchanged characters, I seek to understand the process or the rationale or the principles that would guide each of them to come to whatever conclusions they would arrive at. 

Betrayal

 The most intense battles are those with the closest. In Jesus' case too it was the same.  The very people whom he chose to assist, are the ones who rebelled the worst.  Even among the ones he himself choose to be his inner circle, deserted him when the time was the most challenging. 

Betrayal therefore takes different forms: the emotional betrayal of Peter when he denies him; the selfish monetary betrayal of Judas who 'sells' Jesus for thirty pieces of silver; the silent betrayal of the other apostles who stood by dumb or 'disappeared' without the slightest of protest; the mass betrayal of the population who followed Jesus and witnessed his personality and intent at close quarters for a considerable time... 

History often repeats itself. Good to observe what Jesus did! 

Alarm blues

 Years ago while as students at The Retreat, Yercaud, I had a senior who was weird in every sense of the word and deed. He once borrowed (by force) from another companion an alarm piece. This alarm was a bit of a fancy one with multiple options and what not. 

This senior set the alarm much earlier than the usual rising time and woke up when it rang in the morning. So far so good. But he hadn't bothered to learn how to switch it off! And being in the dormitory of 30 people, most of us cousins of Kumbhakarna who love our sleep, this continuous alarm was a disturbance. This senior first tried to silence the alarm by putting it under the pillow. No chance of the sound not still being a nuisance. Then he put it inside the individual wooden locker. Still no much of a difference. After a few minutes of fellows yelling and shouting to put off the alarm, silence prevailed. 

After breakfast, during morning jobs, the owner of the alarm approached this senior and scolded him because everyone was cursing him thinking it was him who caused nuisance early morning - after all all of us knew him to be the owner of that alarm. The senior too was fed up with a few of his immediate neighbours who gave him a piece of their mind for the confusion in the dormitory. He told this owner, "Go, collect it!" "Collect it? From where?", asked the owner. "From the terrace!" came the reply!!

Dreams and discernment

 Listening to the brief homily of the Mass of St Joseph, it struck me that Joseph received all his communication or 'instructuons' via dreams! He dreamt an angel telling him to take Mary as his wife. He was told in a dream to flee Jerusalem. He was informed in a dream to return from Egypt. He truly was a man of dreams!! And faith, to believe that what he saw in a dream was what was actually expected of him.

Then it also struck me, Don Bosco was a man of dreams! The number of dreams that full his biographies! So did Martin Luther King dream! And Abdul Kalam speak of his numerous dreams. 

All these great visionaries and leaders were guide by dreams. If course, not all of them would have been something they went through, at night lying flat in their bed. Yet these are the facts that drove them. That propelled their actions and their whole life.

Hence the confirmation of my prayer which Ive been praying more and more: 

Lord grant me the wisdom to discern Your will and the courage to live it, no matter the cost.

The axe was long falling

 Today was another serious confrontation, butthis one was very peaceful and calm. Most probably because even before the individual entered my office he knew he had no line of defence. Yet, that did not deter him from putting forth some lousy illogical arguments, which was evidently not clear to himself in the first place. 

Within a few minutes into our dialogue, his initial little hope began to evaporate. I could see it on his face. I could read it in his eyes. He didn't put up any fight, but merely surrendered to what he already guessed would be the final outcome. 

At a point I felt sad for him, for he is much senior to me. I could see that he felt cornered and helpless, not because of me or my questions, but because of what has lead to this day, this heartbreaking dialogue - his own doings. 

Looking back at the whole discussion, given the context and content, I feel pleased with how I put forth my points - firmly and clearly, without in any way humiliating or disrespecting the person. Even though none of his responses were anywhere near truthful or convincing, I did not loose my cool, not even a frown. Perhaps also because he never 'fought'. He knew the axe was long falling.

St Joseph

Joseph, the Church of God protect;

Her priests with holy care endow; 

Shield of the virgin-souls elect

Hope of the fatherless be thou:

And when our parting spirits cling

To earthly joys that cannot bide,

Make Nazareth in our homes, and bring

Jesus and Mary to our side.