தூய பனிமய மாதா I Our Lady of the Snow I 05.08.2021 - Thursday I Rev. Fr....

Bible Reflections I 05.08.2021 - Thursday I Indraya Manna I

Ordinary Time - Week 18

Readings 

I - Num. 20:1-13 

           II - Mt. 16: 13-23

Dedication of St. Mary Major (Optional Memoria)

   

CHOSEN TO BE THE CHURCH OF GOD

In today’s Gospel passage Jesus calls Peter ‘blessed’ and ‘Satan’ simultaneously under two different contexts.  Jesus praises Peter when his answer aligned with the plan of the Father in Heaven and calls him ‘Blessed’ and rebukes him calling ‘Satan’ when he becomes a stumbling block to the plan of God.  Jesus choses that ‘Blessed’ Peter as ‘Rock’ and establishes his Church upon the leadership of that ‘Rock’, Peter.  From then up till now the Church has been victorious over all heresies and havoc caused to it, true to the words of Jesus, “the gates of hades will not prevail against it”.  With and upon the weak being is build the great, divine, holy and mighty Church of God as the bible says, “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the corner stone” (Eph. 2:20).  

Today the Church remembers the dedication of St. Mary Major Church, Rome, a great and gigantic church built in honour of Mother Mary.  The site for the Church was chosen by the Blessed Mother herself through the miraculous snow fall at that site as she promised.  The purpose of every church besides being a place of worship, glory, honour and praise to God, binds brothers and sisters in fraternity, unity and equality. St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of Holy Spirit within you” (1Cor. 6:19).  We are the temple of God, called to be the sign of fraternity, unity and equality reflecting the presence of God.  In this our living we become the worship, honour, glory and praise to God.  This may inherit the wrath of the world upon us and the people of this world may hate, haul and hurt us but they can never prevail over us.  With the blessings and grace of God let us try to project the presence of God in us to the people around as we keep repeating: “Lord Jesus, help me to project your presence in my life”

Bible Reflections I 04.08.2021 - Wednesday I Indraya Manna

Ordinary Time - Week 18

Readings 

   I - Num. 13:1-2,25 - 

         14: 1,26-29,34-35

 II - Mt. 15: 21-28

COURAGE CONQUERS, PERSISTENCE PAYS AND FAITH FAVOURS

In today’s Gospel Jesus referring the Canaanite woman a dog reverses the stereo mindset of the Jews raising her to the standard of the people of God as did the Jews. Because the Jews took pride in parading themselves as people of God. The Canaanites were considered as enemies, sinners and outcasts. The Canaanite woman with such a helpless background but with a great courage in her heart goes amidst the chosen crowd to seek Jesus with a tremendous faith that Jesus would definitely heal her daughter and persistently pervaded the mindset of the Jews without getting offended. Jesus uses the courage, persistence and the faith of the Canaanite woman to instruct the Jews and include everyone under the umbrella of the Children of God.   

Prayer with utmost faith shatters the shackles, reaches the royal realm of God and gets request rewarded. Jacob wrestled with God and got the name Israel (Gen. 32:22-32), the walls of Jerico fell with the prayers and praises of God (Jos. 6: 1-27), Holofernes the giant was beheaded at the hand of a woman with the back up of prayer (judith13), blind beggars effort and calling out of Jesus with faith obtained sight for him (Mk. 10: 46-52), woman with the hemorrhage, touching the hem of the garment of Jesus in faith was healed instantaneously (Mt. 9: 20-22), the centurion obtained healing for his servant even in the off-physical presence of Jesus with an utmost faith in him (Mt. 8:5-13). Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you” (Mt. 7:7). St. Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians says, “…Pray without ceasing” (1Thess. 5:16). Let us not get easily discouraged rather pray the Lord persistently, with great courage and tremendous trust, for courage conquers, persistence pays and faith favours as it did with the Canaanite woman who pleaded Jesus.

துணிவோடிருங்கள் ! அஞ்சாதீர்கள் ! I 03.08.2021 - Tuesday I Rev. Fr. Aroki...

Bible Reflections I 03.08.2021 - Tuesday I Indraya Manna

Ordinary Time - Week 18

Readings

        I - Num. 12: 1-13

      II - Mt. 14: 22-36

FIX FOCUS ON GOD

Today’s Gospel passage is about Jesus walking on water and bidding Peter to do the same when he asked for it. To the surprise and amazement of the disciples, Peter did walk on the water. But gripped in fright with the force of wind, as Peter began to sink in water, he cried out to the Lord for help, “Lord! Save me!”. Jesus put out his hand, held him and asked him just one question, “Why did you doubt?”. Peter despite witnessing multiple deeds of marvelous miracles and stunning healings, was weighed down with trembling fear all because he fixed his focus upon the wind and not on Jesus. 

Don’t we too often reflect Peter in our lives? We should have been witnessing umpteen number of amazing works of God in our lives, still, when we are overwhelmed with worries, troubled with turmoil, engulfed in fear and surged in sorrows, where do we fix our focus? Don’t we tend to fix our focus either on ourselves or on the problems? Let us learn to fix our gaze at Jesus like Peter saying, “Lord! Save me!” so that we might be conquerors in all things through Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:37). May our mind resonate with this prayer as we keep repeating: “Lord Jesus, help me to fix my focus on you”.

இயேசு மக்கள் மீது பரிவு கொண்டார் I 02.08.2021 - Monday I Rev. Fr. Arokia...

Bible Reflections I 02.08.2021 - Monday I Indraya Manna I

Ordinary Time - Week 18

Readings:  

         I - Num. 11: 4-15

     II - Mt. 14: 13-21

SHARED IS MULTIPLIED

Five loaves and two fish to five thousand men besides women and children with twelve baskets remnant is unimaginable, ungraspable and unfathomable. With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible (Mt. 19:26).  In Today’s gospel we read Jesus telling his disciples, “give them something to eat yourselves”.  To Jesus were brought all that they had: five loaves and two fish.  Jesus blesses that too little into a more than enough for the multitude, as the gospel says, “They all ate as much as they wanted”.  Not ‘each one, eat one bread’ but as much as each one wanted. 

St. Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians says, “Give from your heart…for God loves a cheerful giver” (2Cor. 9:7).  God sees the heart, the intention and the generosity with which we give and never what or how much we give.  With God’s blessing, minimum is maximum, slight is surmounting, small is great, insignificant is embossing and mite is might.  Any act of love has its own random effect that foster multiplication. Every kind act, daring deed, generous giving of money, means, energy, time and talent, courageous stand against injustice and inhuman act has its own impact on the new world order based on freedom, fraternity and justice.  Let us share for a supremo world order of love, peace and joy.

பசித்திருபோம் என்றும் பகிர்தலுக்காய் I 01.08.2021 - ஞாயிறு I Rev.Fr. Aro...

Bible Reflections I 01.08.2021 - Sunday I Indraya Manna I

Ordinary Time - Week 18

Readings:  

         I - Ex. 16: 2-4, 12-15

      II - Eph. 4: 17, 20-24

     III - Mk. 6: 24-35

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD

In the first reading, through Moses the liberator, God feeds the people of Israel with manna, the earthly bread from heaven, who were on their journey to the promised land. Through Jesus, the New Moses, the liberator from sin and slavery, God feeds the people of New Israel with the Word of God and the Word made flesh, the heavenly bread form heaven to strengthen them on their journey to the paradise. Therefore as St. Paul exhorts in the second reading, we have to give up the old way of life and put on the new self in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of truth.  

There are two types of people with two types of hunger. One, eat to satisfy their stomach hunger and the other to satisfy their mouth hunger with variety of textures and tastes. There are also two types of people with two types of spiritual hunger. One, wish to satisfy their mere emotional requirements and the other wish to satisfy their real spiritual requirements in order to become worthy children of God befitting the Kingdom of God in all goodness, truth and holiness. In the ‘Our Father’ Jesus has taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”. In ‘daily bread’ Jesus connotes the bread to satisfy basic stomach hunger; and the Word of God and the Ecucharist that satisfy our spiritual hunger. Sound mind in a sound body. 

When we are physically strong, we can also strive strongly nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist in the process of becoming Christ like that is the ultimate goal of every baptised Christian so that along with St. Paul we too can courageously one day say, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Let us in the silence of our mind and heart keep repeating this prayer: “Lord, give us this day our daily bread”.

புனித இஞ்ஞாசியார் லொயோலா I 31.07.2021 - Saturday I Rev. Fr. Arokia Doss ...

Bible Reflections I 31.07.2021 - Saturday I Indraya Manna I

Ordinary Time - Week 17

Readings:  

       I - Lev. 25: 1, 8-17,

      II - Mt. 13: 54-58

St. Ignatius of Loyola (Memoria)

ATTENTIVE LISTENER AND ACTIVE ACCOMPLISHER 

God chooses his predilects, empowers them with His words, and commissions them for a purpose, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jer. 1:9-10), with an assurance of His support and accompaniment “Fear not I am with you” (Is. 41:10). Therefore His chosen ones cannot but speak the truth as we read in Jeremiah, “I say, ‘I will not mention Him, or speak anymore in His name……..I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot’”. In the Gospel passage today, John the Baptist courageously admonishes the unlawful act of King Herod, living with his brother’s wife. His words were powerful, piercing, disturbing and deterring both Herod and Herodias. Herodias plotted so well that she had the head of John the Baptist on the platter through her daughter.  

We are children of God who wishes that all of us be saved. Whenever we are astray, God calls us back on the right the right track through the Scripture, conscience, persons, signs and events. His voice is never compromising or appealing or pacifying but disturbing, contradicting, challenging and conquering. We have only two options before us, either to give heed and align our ways and inherit eternal life or rationalize and reject his words and impend for eternal destruction. Today we remember St. Ignatius of Loyola, the great soldier who disturbed by the word of God, gave up everything to become the servant of the King of Kings. 

If God chooses us to be His mouth piece, let us courageously do so with no fear of people who can kill the body but are unable to kill the soul (Mat. 10:28), like St. John the Baptist who dared to point the unlawful act of the king and St. Ignatius of Loyola who shattered the worldly dreams of St. Francis Xavier with, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his soul?” Let us be both attentive listeners and active accomplishers of the Word of God.

முற்சார்பு எண்ணங்கள் தவிர்ப்போம் I 30.07.2021 - Friday I Rev. Fr. Arokia...

Bible Reflections I 30.07.2021 - Friday I Indraya Manna I

Ordinary Time - Week 17

Readings

       I - Lev. 23: 1,4-11,

            15-16,27,34-37

       II - Mt. 13: 54-58

   

INCLUDE ALL, EXCLUDE NONE 

Today’s Gospel passage is about the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth, his hometown. Prejudice prevented the people of Nazareth from accepting the wisdom of Jesus and his deeds of divine power. A deliberate rejection just because Jesus was a carpenter’s son and Mary, his mother was a simple and insignificant woman of Nazareth. They did not have a great or a renowned background. Therefore the people willfully refused to reckon to the truth. Pride became their pitfall of faith and truth. Ultimately, their unbelief prevented Jesus from performing many deeds of power with them. In their prejudice and pride they became the losers.  

Prejudice pollutes, pride prevents, anger avenges, jealousy jeopardises from accepting and rejoicing at the talents, goodness and the gifts of the other. With these attitudes we may tend to evaluate the background and eliminate, analyse the status and avoid, mount with criticism and marginalise and in the end hunt for reasons to reject and discard people. In this bargain we become the losers like those people of Nazareth who willfully missed Jesus, the Messiah for whom they so long waited.

 We have to go beyond our likes and dislikes to behold the persons as they are and to savour the blessings that each one bring with them. Let us surpass all stereo typed settings in our mind and with a magnanimity of mind and heart accept persons as they are and all for the glory of God. Keep repeating this prayer as often as possible in the silence of heart praying: “Lord Jesus, help to accept everyone”

நானும் என் குடும்பத்தாரும் I 29.07.2021 - Thursday I Rev. Fr. Arokia Dos...

Bible Reflections I 29.07.2021- Thursday I Indraya Manna I

Ordinary Time - Week 17

Readings:  

        I - Ex. 40: 16-21, 34-38

    II - Jn. 11: 19-27

St. Martha (Memoria)

JESUS, A FRIEND FOREVER 

“Faithful friends are beyond price; no amount can balance their worth” (Sir. 6: 15) and “whoever finds one finds a treasure” (Sir. 6:14b).  Everyone tends to seek their friend at all times of their life viz. ups and downs, fear and anxiety, happiness and sorrow, joy and pain.  Today the Church remembers St. Martha, the friend of Jesus and sister of Mary and Lazarus.  Jesus, as their friend, besides being a guest, sharing their hospitality, love and joy goes to Bethany to share the suffering of the bereaved friends at the loss of their brother Lazarus. Martha and Mary would have definitely thought of Jesus as we read in the Gospel passage today, as Martha says, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died” and affirms her trust saying, “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of Him” and so was it done to her.         

Loyalty, fidelity and faithfulness are the vaning concepts of the current consumeristic reality. Almost all relationship today are either utility based or highly self-centered. In the trending world of change and impermanency God’s love alone is strong and constant as the Scripture says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3).  Jesus is the all-time friend forever as the lyrics of Joseph Scriven’s hymn, “what friend we have in Jesus” goes. 

All we need to do is to get connected with Jesus through our prayer.  In times of grief, pain, trials, temptations, discouragement, betrayal, sorrows and weakness, turn to Jesus, an understanding friend closer to us than the very air we breathe. Let us resolve to accept the forever friendship of Jesus as we celebrate the feast day of his friend Martha who served him with much love and care.

துன்புறுவோரின் பாதுகாவலி அன்னை அல்போன்சா I St. Alphonsa I Rev. Fr. Aroki...

Bible Reflections I 28.07.2021 - Wednesday I Indraya Manna I

Ordinary Time - Week 17

Readings: I - Ex. 34: 29-35

                II - Mt. 13: 44-46

St. Alphonsa (Memoria)

   

ENCOUNTER TO EXCELL  

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (Jh. 16:4), is the treasure and the precious pearl of which the Gospel passage portrays today. The one who discovers Jesus will be ready to rid anything and everything for Him and Him alone. Matthew, the tax collector, with a look and the encounter of Jesus, “Follow me” (Mt. 9:9), gave up everything and followed Jesus. Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, and the greedy fellow after befriending Jesus, was ready to give up half of his possession to the poor and to pay back four times to the persons whomever he had defrauded (Lk. 19:1-10). The Samaritan woman dared not to look at people, so she choose the noon time when none would be present, to fetch the water from the well. After the long self-revealing conversation of Jesus, she left her water jar at the well and ran with joy into the city to announce to the people about the Messiah (Jh. 4: 4-42). The adulterous woman caught in the very act of committing adultery was so much taken up by the compassion, mercy and gentleness of Jesus in his words, “Neither do I condemn you”. She was so much captivated by Jesus, that she gave up her sinful living and followed him courageously till the cross (Jh. 8: 1-11). Saul, the fanatic Jew, became Paul after his encounter with Jesus was transformed (Acts. 9:1-19) to be a vehement preacher and faithful follower of Jesus and the pillar of the Church that he once persecuted.  

St. Francis of Assisi, the rich noble young man gave up all his wealth to the extent of stripping himself off and to be a mendicant, all to possess Jesus and Jesus alone. St. Ignatius of Loyola, the one time the womanizer, gambler and the great soldier, when injured was given the book titled ‘The life of Christ’ that gave a complete U-turn in his life. He discovered Jesus there, gave up everything even his old way of living and became a saint and a servant to the King of kings. St. Francis Xavier who went to pursue his university studies at the college of Sainte-Barbe, Paris was captivated so much by the words of St. Ignatius from the Bible, “What will it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit their life” (Mk. 8:36) that he committed himself to promote Jesus the great treasure and a priceless peal to the poor souls that knew not Christ.  

We celebrate the feast of St. Alphonsa, of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation and the first India woman saint who was ready to give up anything to follow Christ, even her beauty and burnt her one leg in the fire pit. She joyfully endured all her suffering for the love of the Lord because she had discovered the great treasure and the priceless pearl in the person of Jesus Christ.

In the light of the life of these personalities let us examine our lives: Have I encountered the Lord in my life? What have I given up to possess this great treasure and the precious pearl? Am I on the right track that the Lord has left for me, the path of love, unity, fraternity and justice? May our mind and heart resonate with this prayer: “Lord Jesus, help me to seek you as the greatest treasure and the precious pearl”

ஏன்? சினத்தை விட பொறுமை நல்லது I 27.07.2021 - Tuesday I Rev. Fr. Arokia ...

Bible Reflections I 27.07.2021 - Tuesday I Indraya Manna I

Ordinary Time - Week 17

Readings:  

  I - Ex. 33: 1-11, 34: 5-9,28 II - Mt. 13: 36-42 

STAY CONNECTED, STAY SAVED  

In the Gospel passage today, Jesus explains the parable of the wheat and the weeds to his disciples. God sows the good seeds, the wheat and the evil one sows the weeds. One becomes good or bad in the choice he/she makes. At the end of time, the good will be gathered for the blissful life eternal and the evil ones with be gathered and thrown into the fiery furnace.

Take a glass of coloured water and keep filling with good water into it. At one point all colour water vanishes with the overflowing, leaving the glass filled with clear good water. Similarly allow the grace of God to overflow even in the most insignificant choices. This calls for discernment. Discernment is making the right choice between the two, the good and the evil, the wheat and the weed. To distinguish and discern rightly, stay connected with God as did Moses in the second reading. We read, “The Lord used to speak to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend” (Ex. 36: 11). It may or may not be so with us. But He does speak to us gently but powerfully through our conscience and the Word of God; in prayer and through persons. Let us attune ourselves to listen to His voice and courageously keep choosing the good again and again, combating and conquering the evil that constantly creep in. It is a continuous struggle or rather a continuous warfare until our last breath. We can definitely be victorious and be saved for life eternal if we stay connected with God in prayer. May our mind and heart resonate with this prayer: “Lord, help me to stay connected with you”.

முதியோர், நம் குடும்பங்களின் ஆசீர்வாதங்கள் I 26.07.2021 - Monday I Rev. ...