A good sermon

The Gospel of the day is about the disciples on the road to Emmaus... a very interesting and always insight-filled text.  "He began with Moses and the prophets, and explained to them everything that was written in the Scriptures, about himself..." As I spent my meditation time reflecting on this point, it struck me that Luke, the author, rightly uses the word 'explained' while referring to the conversation between Jesus and the disciples.  Therefore,

I suppose Jesus interpreted the Scriptures, shed new light on the text, made the same Scriptural passages come alive, the same words mean more than the already understood...

And the result of this 'explanation'? "... were not our hearts ablaze..." and "... they ran back all the way to Jerusalem..."

Is not this what a sermon is all about?  Illumining the heart and mind and leading one to a concrete action (basically sharing that rich experience to others not so fortunate)...????

The skill of the one delivering a sermon is not in repeating the text or rattling off Scriptural quotes (with references)  and speaking a thousand and one things (most of which are not even remotely associated with the core message of the readings). Jesus shows what a good sermon ought to be: empowering the hearers with the key to understand the same text anew, in the present context for a concrete action. 

Taking a distance

Yesterday  I read the necrology of Fr Benedict Vadachary sdb, who was my school Principal when I was in Don Bosco, Sanathnagar doing my elementary studies.  I really do not have very clear memories of him because, it was Fr Lens who was the most attractive and charming. So as small boys, the one who really  mattered was Fr Lens! However, reading the necrology I was a bit disappointed.  It looked very shabbily done.  Not the material quality but the content part of it.  There is hardly anything substantial about his life.  His last few days are mentioned in some detail.  From my reading of the text, I gather it is written by someone who was very close to him and had not taken a distance from Fr Benedict's immediate and delicate situation of his ill health and thereby the 'gloomy' picture painted.

From what I gather, I remember Fr Benedict to be a burly man with wide shoulders, broad chest and a tall personality.  He was truly dark in complexion and the fact that Fr Lens (being one from Europe) was the other Priest with him, made the contrast too clear.  Most often he appeared quite serious but was fond of meeting the boys.  No wonder he spent most of his life as teacher or headmaster.  If I am not mistaken he was one one who appointed the first batch of teachers for the school, some of whom are still faithfully working in the school.

Well, since I owe so much to Don Bosco School, Sanathnagar, I surely am grateful to Fr Benedict for all that he did.  May God rest his soul.  

The NT from the beginning ...

I read a book about the transfiguration of the Lord today (not that it is one of my favourite topics, but for a review). Reading it I came across a theological debate that has as its starting point the doubt if this whole event of transfiguration is a chronologically misplaced post-resurrection event in the Galilean mission? We all know that the Bible (I mean the New Testament) was written from the perspective of the Resurrection. It was a 'recalling back' of the life and mission of Jesus from the moment of his Resurrection. I was wondering how would it have been, had the New Testament been written along the time of Jesus' life... not from the 'eyes' of the Resurrection? Well that's an interesting exercise that one could undertake... but this I am sure, it would certainly not be the same as we have it now.