Faith

Directs, Decides and Dismisses – Thursday, the third week in Easter – Acts 8:26-40/ John 6:44-51

The focus of the text is often and with good intention set on Philip or the Ethiopian eunuch who was the finance minister of the Queen of Candace. I, on the other hand, am drawn to focus on the Holy Spirit as the champion of the text. It is the Holy Spirit who directs, decides and dismisses.

The Holy Spirit Directs

For many in the Church today, ministry has become a matter of ‘my baby.’ That is the prime ingredient for a recipe headed for the waste bin. The ministry of Philip was a runaway success in Samaria. (Acts 8:5-8) Yet the Spirit of the Lord does not confine him to Samaria and confirm him as Bishop for life but tells him to ‘get up and go.’ (Acts 8:26) He is sent on the road that goes ‘down.’ Down does not seem like an upward promotion on the face of it and even worse, he is sent on the ‘road of the wilderness,’ a road few would tread today for it went from Jerusalem to Gaza.

The Holy Spirit Decides

Perhaps ministry for us today has not only become my baby but who I choose to minister to. Often parish groups are marginalized by the very shepherds called to lead them because they have their ‘pet peeves’ against them. As pastors, we are called to minister to all. But there are times when the Holy Spirit decide who we need to specifically minister to.

 In this case, it was an affluent and influential man of political standing. We may find it loathsome to minister to someone in politics or even scorn those who minister to those who are financially well-off. Do politicians and the rich deserve the wrath of God and only the poor in spirit inherit the kingdom of God? Let God’s spirit decide the path of ministry and service for you. In this case, it was a wealthy man who became the FIRST AFRICAN CONVERT to the faith. Imagine what would have happened if Philip had his pet peeves against some in the Church.

The Holy Spirit Dismisses.

We like to sit on thrones of power, in chairs of position and the seats of prestige. We anoint ourselves prophets, priests and eternal kings in the ministry we are given charge of temporarily. What a shame it is when we cling to our posts way beyond our calling. Philip had successfully converted Samaria and now he had converted a wealthy political big wig. Yet the Spirit of God ‘snatched Philip away’ and sent him to Azotus (present-day Ashdod) before sending him further north, along the coast in the direction of Casearia, the heart of the Roman administration of that day.

How silly we are when we tell God our plans; he must be laughing in heaven. But woe be upon us when we insist that ‘our’ kingdom come and ‘our’ will be done on earth. For such, there cannot be a place in heaven! The Holy Spirit is in the business of appointments. I say this tongue in cheek for this is the time in the year when priests are ‘appointed’ to a parish by their Bishops. I recall with sadness when disappointment first set in my heart when appointed to Malad East. It almost seemed like a ‘punishment.’ Yet the stone that the builders may reject is the cornerstone in God’s plan.

When the Holy Spirit dismisses you to a new role, no matter what position you hold and what capacity you are sent in, GO! There are too many among the clergy, religious and the laity who hold on to their seats as if their post defines them.  Maybe Philip hesitated and that is why he was ‘snatched’ and sent on.

Bishops, priests, religious and laity need to read this text often so that their hearts may be in tune with His Holy Spirit and pray that they too are ‘snatched’ by God’s Holy Spirit even if they are sent to Gaza, Ashdod or Caesarea and not give in to the evil spirit of power and position.

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The hate for the faith – Wednesday, the third week in Easter – Acts 8:1-8/ John 6:35-40

Passion is what must truly drive you. Educational qualifications or motivational speeches do not drive passion. When you are passionate you don’t need convincing or cajoling. Everything you do is driven by a strength that comes from a desire to see your passion actualised and even memorialised.

Much of our faith is not driven by passion. It is for this reason that we need to be motivated or even worse, monitored. Obligations weigh heavy and hellfire is thrown in for good measure to get us to fall in line. Catholics who are passionate about the faith are a slim minority and that accounts for the unenthusiastic response to evangelization. You are more likely to forward a sensational post on social media than a sensible one that nourishes life and faith.

The Early Church did not need to be cajoled; they were captivated by the Holy Spirit and Christ who had conquered death. To that end, they were willing to die for a cause and not just meet a tick box at Sunday service.

The text of today seems to be an attempt to capture many events that occurred in a single day. It seems like St Luke, the author, had his mind racing to capture it all when he penned the text. That is what happens when you want to record three notable events and do not want to miss a single detail.  

We are told that (1) A SEVERE persecution breaks out against the Church in Jerusalem and all except the apostles are SCATTERED throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Saul is RAVAGING the Church DRAGGING both men and women to prison. (2) Stephen is BURIED amidst loud LAMENTATION by some men. (3) Philip is making waves in Samaria with crowds listening EAGERLY leading to GREAT JOY in the city.

In one single text, we read of the fear of bodily persecution, yet unabashed and courageous mourning and even more, joyful evangelization. To many this is madness but those who are driven by a passion for the faith, understand these events with clarity.  

The thought of persecution would send most of us scampering for cover. Here a full-blown persecution has begun with the martyrdom of St Stephen. The words used by St Luke and highlighted by me in the text above are an attempt to make the reader not just glance at what we take for granted as an event but rather a reality that could face us today. This was a ‘severe’ persecution that ‘ravaged’ the Church leading to people being ‘dragged’ to prison.

Yet passion for the faith and not the threat of persecution is what drives the response of the Early Church. Stephen is mourned publicly and unabashedly. And while all but the apostles flee Jerusalem the focus is not on the fleeing but rather the fanning of the flame of faith which has not been extinguished but rather the torch is carried by Philip to Samaria. God’s chosen people in Jerusalem may have rejected the Messiah but the Gentiles of Samaria recognize the truth. Passion burns brightly even amid persecution.

The Church in India has always been persecuted both tacitly and openly. While the present dispensation has most evidently gaslighted the hate for the faith, previous dispensations played the anti-conversion card to their convenience. While we in the cities have rarely and randomly been subjected to public attacks, those in rural India have testified with more than just scars on their backs.

Leadership in the Church today does not reflect the stance of the apostles who stood their ground in Jerusalem nor does it reflect the great lamentation for the martyred. Even more, there are no Philips who choose to evangelize in the Samaria’s of India and as a consequence there is no joy in any town. Passion for the faith is frail, if nonexistent and ‘WATERed’ down Church leadership and not the ‘BLOOD’ of the martyrs seems to be the nourishment for the seed of Christianity. The results are obvious on earth, imagine the judgment in heaven.

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Maundy Thursday – Finding a place for women at the last supper.

Six days before the Passover, Jesus was in the house of Martha, Lazarus and Mary in Bethany. If you walked down the Golden Gate that was attached to the temple (now sealed) and walked into and out of the Kidron valley you would arrive at the Mount of Olives on which is situated the garden of Gethsemane. Just over the mountain was Bethany. It is here that Jesus often found rest among friends.

John 12:2 tells us that on this occasion, Lazarus was present and so was Martha who was serving (that seems to always be her preoccupation). Also in the house was Mary and once again we find her at the feet of Jesus. I am not going to disparage work over worship but perhaps we see too little of ‘sitting at his feet’ over ‘serving at his table.’

Mary pours a pound of pure nard on his feet and wipes it with her hair. It was not uncommon for someone’s feet to be washed. This Roman culture had been well incorporated out of sheer necessity into Judean living. But on this occasion, the actions of Mary have to be seen as an act of supreme love that must have surely made a deep impact on the life of Jesus. This was something that he must have remembered fondly.

Six days later at the Passover, Jesus was down on his knees doing the unimaginable. Jesus took the role of a slave when he washed the feet of one who would betray, the other who would deny and nine who would desert him. Only John stood by the foot of the cross. It is no wonder that he richly deserves the title, ‘the one whom Jesus loved.’

I want to throw in a wild card here; a thought that may be pure conjecture but worth a pastoral implication. What if Jesus was so deeply struck by the act of love that Mary performed six days ago, that he felt prompted to do the same? Jesus did not use pure nard, just a towel and water but the extravagance of love cannot be lost on us considering whose feet he washed.

Like Mary, whose actions were seen as scandalous, the act of washing his disciple’s feet was seen as scandalous. Yet he did it for love’s sake, the same love that prompted Mary’s actions. It was meant to be a ripple effect; Mary, Jesus, you and me. Jesus said it in no uncertain terms, “If I then, your Lord and Master have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet.” Women create beautiful ripples that we need to acknowledge and commemorate.

The action of Mary of Bethany was not just driven by love but her actions inadvertently said much more when she ‘anointed’ his feet. The word Messiah means ‘the anointed one.’ Here was the anointed one being anointed by a woman. Mary did not anoint him with a title but anointed him for his burial. (John 12:7)

Permit yourself this pastoral luxury for once, without letting your theology scream blue murder at you. Think about it, It was a woman who had the privilege of ‘anointing’ the lord before his death. She administered the ‘anointing’ (I am not calling it a sacrament). Guess what, the role of women did not end there. To the one man who stood at the foot of the cross there were several women, to the many men who abandoned the lord there were the women of Jerusalem mourning unabashedly on the via dolorosa and it was to a woman that the Lord will first appear at his resurrection.

Yes, there was no seat assigned for a woman at the last supper but that does not mean there was no place in the heart of Jesus for them.

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Have you sold him for less? Wednesday, in Holy Week – Matthew 26:24-25

For the last two weeks, post-Laetare Sunday, we have heard the proclamation of John’s Gospel. Yet today we hear a text from the Gospel according to Matthew because it brings us up to speed with details that led to the death of Jesus. This is the third straight day in Holy Week that Judas will find mention in the Gospel and he will do so for all the wrong reasons.

Why should we focus on a betrayer rather than a Saviour? The answer is simple; the age of betrayers will never end as long as satan continues to hover around. This defeated enemy does not take defeat too well. Remember this; he succeeded in getting into the mind of one of the twelve. These were the closest to Jesus. He does not need everyone to work for him, he only needs one; he may just need you! Judas cracked open the door of his life to satan when he began to steal from the common fund and satan pushed his way right in. The game was now afoot, and the plot now thickens.

Some might think that Judas was a fait accompli; no, he was not. Do not let your mind afford such frivolous thoughts.  It is not that Judas was ‘chosen’ from the beginning to be the betrayer. His compulsions, whatever they may be, are exposed by his words that condemn him. He went to the chief priests. He negotiated a deal for a consideration of money. It was greed that satan used to trip him into the fires of hell. This was all Judas’ doing.

But while greed was his motivation one finds the consideration ridiculously low. This was the base price set in the scriptures for the price of a slave (Exodus 21:32). So why would one who is greedy settle on such a base price? Perhaps enjoyed to his ‘need for greed’ was also an animosity that Judas harboured against Jesus.

The text preceding this one tells us that Jesus was at the home of Simon the Leper when a woman (In John’s Gospel it is Mary) takes an alabaster jar of very costly ointment (in John’s Gospel it is pure nard) and pours it on his head (in John’s Gospel it is his feet). The disciples are very angry asking why was this ointment not sold for a large sum of money and given to the poor (In John’s Gospel it is Judas).

Perhaps Judas was miffed by the rebuke of Jesus when he said, “Leave her alone.” Perhaps he questioned if this was the Messiah. Perhaps, being the only Judean among the eleven Galilean disciples, he felt left out. Whatever his reason, he actively chose to betray the Son of God. Betrayal of God does not necessarily need a price. God is betrayed for far smaller considerations today.

Think of a punishment you would give to one who betrayed you so cheaply. I am sure you are conjuring up some dreadful scenarios in your head. To a man whom Jesus knew was betraying him, a seat at an intimate meal was reserved. Judas was still welcome to sit at the table of grace. There was still a chance to make things right but he chose not to. Why do I say I say so? The RSV translation of the Bible gives us the clue.

Jesus announces midway into the meal that one of the twelve would betray him. Their shock is understandable and the response is remarkable for two reasons. None of them looked around the table and pointed a finger at a possible suspect. Each in their turn asked, “Is it I, LORD?” Only Judas asked, “Is it I, RABBI?” For the rest, Jesus was Lord, the Messiah, the Saviour. For Judas, he was still A TEACHER, like any other teacher of that time, easily dispensable. Big mistake Judas, big mistake!

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John, Peter or Judas? Tuesday in Holy Week – John 13:21-33, 36-38

Most of us live in the belief that the problems we face are unique to our experience. We justify it by saying, “Oh you don’t know what I am going through.” That is far from the truth, for while I may not fully understand your situation, I can draw circles that overlap our human experiences of pain.

We tend to think of Jesus’ sufferings as far removed from ours. We get lost in his divinity and negate his humanity. We tend to assume that even though he ‘suffered,’ his sufferings could not be that bad because he is God. Right? No actually you’re wrong and several texts from scripture accurately present us with his humanity in order that we may not forget that we have one who suffered; suffered with us and for us.

If you read John 14:1, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, believe in God and believe in me.” That may sound a bit ironic when you read the text of today which tells us that “Jesus was troubled in spirit.” (John 13:21). Right away we know that the one who needed consolation, having experienced a troubled heart, goes on to offer us consolation in our hour of fear.

But what was it that troubled the heart of this gentle saviour? We know that fear of his suffering will engulf Jesus much later, in the Garden of Gethsemane but for now his heart is troubled because one of his closest is soon to betray him. That’s a harsh reality to face and that is a human experience many of us have had; a loved one who has stabbed us in the back.

But also in plain sight of this text is “the one whom Jesus loved.” What a lovely title to be known by. It’s not a title that Jesus gave like he did with Peter when he called him the rock. John was not bestowed with a title but rather he was known by this title. That says a lot; it speaks of the fact that everyone knew the love that Jesus had for John. Was there an unfair edge that John took advantage of? Think about it, Jesus could pierce hearts and if John tried to fool Jesus with his flummery he would have ended up like Judas. One can only conclude that John loved Jesus and Jesus loved him right back. Here is a question for you -Am I the one that Jesus loves, or is my claim to fame, ‘my love for Jesus?’

The text of John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus not only declared his betrayal but identifies his betrayer. Jesus announces that he will dip the bread into the dish and give it to the betrayer. This is the last supper. This is the supper at which the Lord instituted the Eucharist. This is the meal at which bread was transformed into his body.  Guess who was the first to receive Holy Communion at the hands of the Lord himself? Irony abounds…..

The scripture of today tells us that Judas received Christ’s body and yet he did not fight satan who entered into him after this. Jesus could see that even though Judas was nourished by the bread of life, he made a choice to follow the way of satan and Jesus had to let him make his choices. “Do quickly what you are going to do.”

I am not sure if the rest of the eleven had recovered from the shock of knowing that Judas was to betray Jesus or were in denial of tragedy that was unfolding quickly. They seem confused by Jesus’ instructions to Judas to do what he was to do and to do it quickly. In any case, this was a done deal. Scripture tells us that as soon as Judas left, “it was night.” Sin is darkness and when we walk out of the light we walk into darkness.

Finally, our narrative takes us to the words of Peter. Words that we have said time and time again, “I will lay down my life for you (Jesus).” It is beautiful to know that Jesus understands human frailty. It does not shock Jesus to know that we will fail him. He knew Peter would fail. After his resurrection he addressed Peter’s failing not with condemnation but renewal. Do you renew your love for me, “do you love me?”

The text has so much to reflect on. I have tears in my eyes as the thoughts flow and my fingers type. I could be John who was loved and loved in return. I could be Peter who loved, yet let fear take over (not the first time, he did it on the lake of Galilee too) and deny the Lord. I could be Judas who was the first to be given the Lord’s body at the first Eucharist and yet be the one who chose to betray the Lord. 

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