Comfort in misery

 The incident we hear in the gospel today can also be interpreted differently, indicating to us that the Lord expects us to take responsibility for ourselves.  Not merely wait for help to arrive and do all the work.  We are expected to do the heavy lifting ourselves, for ourselves! 

The man at the pool of Bethesda, is shown as waiting for healing. Unfortunately there is always - always?- someone who enters into the stirred miraculous waters before he could.  Now this could be the case of a couple of days or months.  But it cannot be so for ages!  Unless, the man himself is not keen to get healed!  He is comfortable in his misery. Perhaps, he is used to earning a living 'showcasing' his physical condition of paralysis. 

To such a man shirking his responsibility, Jesus says: 'Pick up your bed!'  

While God's grace and peoples generosity requires no additional support or reason, one cannot escape one's own responsibility towards oneself. Healing, change, growth are matters - among many others - which require one's own consent and will.  

Holiness is grace

As I spent time in prayer this evening, and later talking to the confessor, it hit me hard that for quite sometime now, I've been thinking and trying to see what is it that I can do; that I need to do.  All this while, it never occured to me to think, what is it that the Lord wants me to do. 

I think what triggered this insight was what the preacher said about holiness.  He said, "We want to be holy.  We strive our best to be holy.  But we forget that it is God who makes us holy."  Though not very convinced of that one-sided affair of God making me holy while I sit there doing nothing. I also realised that doing things without Him, is equally empty.  Holiness is His grace and I have to respond.  Be aware.  Accept.  Be grateful for.  And build it up/share it around. 

So this evening's prayer: Lord, help me know what is it that you want me to do.  

Passion of John the Baptist

Was told the other day that the commemoration of the beheading of John the Baptist is now referred to as the 'passion of John the Baptist'.  I found that weird.

Honestly, John the Baptist did not have any prolonged agony prior to his death.  Most probably even when the soldiers came to his prison to behead him, he would not have known of his imminent death.  So besides being behind bars for a short while, I don't see what great agony he would have undergone to now refer to it as the 'passion'.

However, on deeper reflection it struck me that perhaps he did suffer.  He surely must have struggled a lot with many a thing prior to his death.  I am sure he would have wondered and found it very confusing that he was imprisoned for telling a fact.  He must have wondered if he was sane, because no one else in the whole kingdom felt that Herod taking his brother's wife was wrong.  JB would have asked himself if he was right and the rest wrong, especially given the fact that only he seemed to say that Herod's act was unethical. To have to stand all alone is itself a great task demanding courage and will.  Then over and above it to be hounded for taking a stand, that too a righteous one, would be more hurting.  

Man of God?

Reflection for April 7, 2017: Believe in the Father

In the movie 'Evan Almighty' there is a particular point where the protagonist, a reputed modern American politician-turned builder of the Ark (at God's command) is questioned by the reporters, “What makes you so sure that God chose you (to build the ark)?” Evan replies, “He chose all of us!” 

Most often we are so convinced that God only chooses the prophets and saints, we forget our baptismal grace by which, each of us is a child of God. That each of us have a vocation. Therefore everytime a person claims to be a messenger of God, we smirk, we frown, we mock. Jesus offers us a simple remedy to verify the authenticity claims of anyone: do the works lead me to understand and believe in the Father. Even if the answer is no, we can still take it to remind ourselves of the grace we already are blessed with: being a child of God. Or use the occasion to discern our vocation, what God really wants of us.

Working under deadlines

The past one week was reading week/half-term.  Honestly had plenty of time at hand to read but I basically wanted to only complete my paper for the Political Philosophy.  The deadline for submitting was today morning 10 am - though it was pushed back 48 hours.  And I really worked on the paper only yesterday!

So simple lesson learnt: more work is done when there is no time!  Deadlines serve better than time when it comes to accomplishing tasks. I may have time but with no deadline, I'll never really complete it. But with deadline, I'll 'create' time to meet that deadline!

Of course, am conveniently sidelining, the will!

Refugee crisis

Today we commemorate the feast of St Basil. He was associated with Capadocia, a place in today's Turkey.  During Mass Fr Sean reminded us of the need to pray for all the people struggling to live in places besieged by war and strife.

The other day I was talking to a confrere I know who is working in Germany and has done his bit of help for the refugees coming from the Non-European countries.  He was stating how families or children are helped to find a place to live, work and study.  Most often the government pays for their food and study.  Adults are given about €400 and children € 250 per month. While some use this amount for their stay, very many preserve it, just in case their application for visa and stay is rejected. Or even if they plan to return, this money is of great value back in their homeland.  Furthermore the danger of terrorists entering as refugees is also quite possible. Difficult indeed to identify.  Yet no discrimination can be done.  All this is truly noble and good. What more can simple citizens do than open their hearts and homes for these displaced people.

Though such goodwill gestures do make a big difference for those involved, they do not really solve the issue at hand or prevent it from escalating. There is a great danger that civilizations and cultures will be totally transformed, some totally lost, if there are no more people living in a particular place. Even in other places the existing culture and scenario is going to be different if people from other places are to be made comfortable.  Discouragement, dissatisfaction, and unemployment will only be taken advantage of by terrorists. Not to speak of the misery and loss of children (a whole generation).
The real will of politicians and policy makers is the one lacking.  Most politicians think not beyond themselves. Those who do, end with their own group or nation.  Not that every political leader is to think of everyone in the whole world, but every time a decision is made, one ought to keep in mind that there is a world!  And that every decision has its far-reaching consequences beyond the borders of one's political authority.