Risking God's closeness

Today's readings form an interesting combo: Jonah and the parable of the Good Samaritan. Fr Wilson rightly asked what would be the commonality in the two most gripping narrations in the Bible. He stated that it was the fear of responsibility that was common in both the narrations. Jonah was fleeing Yahweh and the Priest and the Levite from the parable too were escaping the direct responsibility that God was placing before them.

Both these instances offer a very revealing insight into our human relationship. We love God from afar. We dearly desist coming close to Him - or Him close to us. For that is too risky an affair; that closeness demands a lot from us. It involves risk, responsibility and commitment - the very things we shirk away from. We love to keep our lives small and peaceful. Letting God into our lives is living with a turbulence. He constantly challenges us, never letting us just be the minimal we can be and do.

Price of being a Catholic

Today on more than one occasion the difficulty of 'retaining' the Catholic laity cropped up in our discussions. The difficulty was that people are steady and in large numbers too, leaving the Catholic Church, either with an explicit choice for non-Catholic but Christian denominations or just don't appear in Church anymore. While I do not wish to comment on the first reason, I do believe one of strong reasons for the latter is the following: Christianity has too 'lists of dos and dont's' There are the sacraments to adhere to, the Sunday obligation to fulfil, the feast day attendance at the Church and for procession, the approval of the Parish Priest for all of these and more... Hinduism, on the other hand, has very little or no such binding obligations at all. One need not go to any temple all his life, a lady may never practice most of the rites and rituals of a Hindu rite, yet they can very well claim to be a Hindu. No one would accuse them of 'leaving' Hinduism. Perhaps this is another reason why Hinduism is viewed more as a 'way of life' than a structured religion. Catholicism demands much, while general Hinduism expects nothing much!

About ants and rentals

Here's a nice joke (thanks to Fr Koshy for passing it on):

An ant knocks on the door of a house. The house owner opens the door. "I want a place to stay," said the ant. "I have a vacant room which you can occupy for free of cost," said the owner. The ant went inside and occupied the vacant room. After some days, the ant brought in another ant and requested to the owner, "Can you please allow this ant to stay with me?" "Oh sure, you can do so without paying any rent," said the owner. After some more days, the ant brought one more ant and requested the owner to allow the ant to stay with it. The owner agreed to it without asking for any rent. This continued as the ant brings in one more and and the owner agrees for it.

One fine day, the ant brought in a tenth ant and requested the owner to allow him also to stay with it. The owner said, "OK, you can all stay here but you all need to pay rent." Now the question is: Why did the owner ask for rent when the last ant came in? Because they are now tenants!

The two silver coins...

This morning prior to my departure to the town for some work, the cooks asked me to deposit part of their provident fund collection in the bank to their earlier collection and make it into an FD (fixed deposit). The sum that they collectively handed over in cash to me, was about Rs 15,000. Add to that another 35,000 each (of three of them). And when I jokingly said that today I certainly am a rich man, they sincerely told me: "Brother, if you really need money you can use this amount. We do not need it immediately so you might very well use it for the Seminary now." I was fooling, but they weren't! I was quite touched by their generosity. Though it would not even suffice for our basic provisions for the month, they were offering me their hard earnings of 5 years - just like that! And didn't Jesus appreciate the widow who dropped in the two silver coins!!

From the pan to the fire!

Just when you think that you have sorted it all out and are ready to start things with better involvement and vigour, you are entrusted with something that is equally and additionally demanding. Such has been my experience... always, even today!

Lord, please help me!

On prayer... & God

The concluding class of the Philosophy of God was a real finale! During the course of the final revision and general clarifications, the topic of prayer and its utility came up, again. The argument and discussion went on for quite some time. My whole emphasis was on living prayer than merely a 'sitting prayer' - mere vocal list of petitions while in the Church. What actually triggered the discussion to the point of frenzy and emotional outbursts was when I, in my regular enthusiasm - termed the latter form of prayer 'bullshit'. However, throughout the discussion I could gather that the Brothers were attentive to what I was speaking. Though had they really been attentive to what I was saying all along the semester, this would not have come as a surprise.

My whole contention was that prayer has to follow an effort on my part. I just cannot simply pray and do that alone! That according to me is an insult to God - a God who has empowered me and blessed me with a super-abundance of gifts and graces so that I can make a difference in this world. So prior to my asking God to do things, I need to do my bit. Without that I cannot just ask God to do things for me, while all that I do is sit in the Chapel (when I go to the Chapel, only) and utter words. Such a prayer would according to me, be an insult to God and a sure act of defence of my own laziness.

Then, there was a brief discussion on the content of prayer itself. In other words, what do I pray for. Furthermore the idea that God need not answer my prayers was another thing my students could not digest. I said, when I pray, I leave the choice to God to answer them or not. Their immediate question: 'Why pray then?' (The answer to that has already been given in the book of Harold Kushner, When bad things happen to good people.)

Fear to stand alone

This evening I had a very engaging discussion with two of my students, both freshers. Discussing with them some basic values and issues which I have long been harping upon, I realised the amount of fear they have within ... fear of standing alone. One of their greatest fears is being shunned by their own friends, diocese or course companions... They simply dread it. It is because of this that they prefer to be subservient to those who start rumours, those who instigate the rest and are able to generate talk.

I did my best to help them see that just because it is so, does not mean it is right to be so. Convictions are something that each one needs to have and stand by. The cost of standing by them may be high but if we do not stand by any of them, then is such a life worth living at all? They wish to live an ideal life but fear the opinion, talk, rumours, and the label of being 'proud' and 'idealist'.

Ka-ching - Shania Twain

Here's a nice song by Shania Twain, about riches and modern craze for hoarding. Nice melody too. The lyrics are the best...

All we ever want is more
A lot more than we had before...

Not just preachers but men of God

The gospel of the day, Matthew 21:28-32 (Sunday 25 September 2011) is a subtle warning for all those in public offices and authorities who think that their personal life has no bearing on their public ministry - saying one thing and doing another. That to say something in public for others has no connection whatsoever with what I do or say or believe within me. That all that matters is a grand show or an emotional drive that will sweep the 'audience' off their feet and 'make them better' while what I say and proclaim makes no impact on me at all. Least of all, I need not touched by it at all. What I say is for 'them', it does not apply to me.

I see in the Church today a great 'thirst' for preachers... even if they are not doers! The prayer of people is that Priests be men who can proclaim the Word of God eloquently... living that Word of God is not the priority. The other day there was one senior lady, very devout and simple, who praised the Brothers for having left everything and come to the service of the Church. She too wanted them all to be good preachers! Since I have a rapport with her, I sternly warned her never ever to emphasise the little, at the cost of the essential! Being smart, she understood my point: not just preachers, but men of God.

Touchback: A movie of the past for the present

I watched the new movie Touchback today (of course, in bits and pieces). But it was worth it. As one reviewer put it (speaking about the movie dvd): "... buy it, borrow it, steal it, copy it, but please see it." Having watched the movie, I perfectly agree with the reviewer.

It is the story of a football player who gets a chance to relive his high school days, at the end of which 15 years ago, he injured his leg and thereby lost his chance to go to college and play as a professional. As he finds himself in a known situation, he relooks at the very things (present) knowing well what is the future. Initially he is excited that he can now literally rewrite the past, especially his dream of getting out of the small native town he has grown up in and become a professional football player. However, his interactions with his coach, his own single mother and most of all with an unknown girl (who in his present is his wife) in the college - not unknown, but he never really did notice her then - he begins to see the beauty of the present. His mother challenges him to be happy now, rather than eternally keep chasing happiness in the future. Finally when he actually has a chance to change the present, in line with his grand plans for the future, he does the same as he did then, 15 years ago... all for the sake of retaining what is most important in life... love and friendship of those dear and not personal plans for glory.

I wonder how many of us, if given a chance to go back into our past and change things, would change the whole of it? Or some of it? Or most of it? Blessed are those who will live it as it is and be happy about it! Because only then will each present moment count and every choice made valuable, because my present is more important than my past or the future... because my choice for the right and lasting things of life is more important than momentary glory and honour.