Faith

Take courage, your deliverance is at hand – Friday, First week of Advent- Is 29:17-24  

 For more than twenty odd years I saw the stress that loomed large on my parents face. A family dispute which dragged on in the courts of Mumbai had left more than a few wrinkles on their face. The situation seemed bleak for we were on the verge of losing our home. What vexed me the most was the corruption of the legal system in the nation’s courts. It is no secret that corruption runs deep and the pockets of crooked judges and lawyers run deeper.

In all of this my parents clung on to their faith in God and in His time a settlement was reached. We made a decision to walk away with God gave us even though by human standards it was an unfair settlement. My parents found peace and celebrated their Golden Jubilee of the wedding last year. We as a family continue to be blessed by God

I write this because so many people are locked in court battles. Many of them are innocent victims suffering at the hands of greedy relatives, neighbours and unscrupulous people. The stress and strain is heightened even more by corruption and then there is often what seems to be the silence of God.

Where is God we ask? Why does he not strike our enemies and redeem us from our pain? Why does evil seem to prosper and the just person suffer? Today’s first reading which is a continuation of the promises of God to the house of Jacob addresses the promise of God. He promises never to abandon us. Yesterday’s reading asked us to keep our mind on Him and He will keep us in peace. Today God promises his vengeance on those tyrants who scoff at his faithful.

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Art/ Heritage

The Christmas Canvas, a gift for Pope Francis

CHRISTMAS! Up goes the twinkling tree and on go the glistening lights. It’s the season for gifts and candy canes; for fruit cakes and carols. But beyond the bows and mistletoe in a tiny Manger lies the true magic of Christmas; of God born as man! This magic of Christmas for long has enchanted artists who have employed their flair to narrate the timeless story from the Annunciation to the Presentation.

This Christmas, the Archdiocesan Heritage Museum, Mumbai, brings to you the story of Christ’ birth through twelve brilliant masterpieces. The twelve write-ups that form the ‘Christmas Canvas’ were first written by Miss Joynel Fernandes, Asst. Director of the Archdiocesan Heritage Museum, Mumbai in 2017, as a mini-series for a blog site (www.pottypadre.com).

The presentation of these classical paintings coincides with the twelve days of Christmas, narrating to us the story of faith as captured by some of the most amazing artists of all times. The book was warmly launched by H.E. Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay at Archbishops House, Colaba on December 3, 2018.

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Faith

Anxiety hampers faith but trust boosts faith – Thursday – First week of Advent Isaiah 26:1-6

The reading of today is part of a larger prayer for deliverance. It its immediate context it is a song of jubilation and victory for the people of Judah who have been promised deliverance from their oppression under the Assyrians. Today’s song of jubilation is a companion piece to the hymn of 25:15 (yesterday’s text)

The prophet Isaiah had prophesied that God would destroy their enemies and wait on them at the great banquet at which fine marrow and the best wine would be served. This promise was given to a people who in reality were starving and deprived of food. Yet they are called not to give in to anxiety but to trust in God.

At the heart of this song of deliverance is a reminder and a promise to all, to trust in Yahweh the “rock of all ages.” For “He keeps in perfect peace, those whose mind is set on Him because they trust in Him.” (Verse 3).

We often feel we are at peace when we trust someone in our life. We feel a sense of assurance that they will never harm us and that is why we let our guard down and our defenses lie exposed. We choose to become vulnerable because we know that this person won’t let us down. Yet time and time again our hearts are broken by the very ones we love and trust.

While humans fail, God never fails. This is the assurance the prophet wants to give the people of Judah and to us. We invest so much of our time searching for the right person in whom we can entrust our lives in order to find happiness and peace and yet invest so little in building a relationship with God.

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Faith

The illogical love of God – Wednesday, 1st week of Advent – Isaiah 25: 6-10a

There is something most illogical about the love of God. He just forgives and gives. The reading of today reflects this predilection, this preference or special liking He has for His people.

In 753 BC Syria and Israel invaded Judah (Jerusalem being the capital) in the south in an attempt to force it into an anti- Assyrian coalition. It was the Assyrians who were gathering on the northern borders in an attempt to invade Judah. This came to pass with the conquest of Israel in 733 BC and Israel and Syrian became vassal states of Assyria which had now become a super power.

Judah saw her brothers and sisters in the north now under Assyrian rule but did not seem to have learnt her lesson for Judah now began to beat the drums of war against Assyria, this time under the promptings of another neighbour in the South, Egypt. Isaiah spoke out against these unholy alliances. His fervent, sometimes bitter words, failed to move King Hezekiah who revolted against Assyria with the help of Egypt only to be crushed in 701 BC with great devastation to her people. Hezekiah had to surrender and pay a huge indemnity to the Assyrians.

The future was now bleak for the people of Judah. Their lives and future were a pile of ashes and devastation. Food was hard to come by and hope was a distant possibility. In the midst of this the prophet Isaiah gives us today’s message of comfort and boy does it astound us.

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Faith

The Colour Purple – 1st Sunday of Advent

Growing up, the season of Advent meant just one thing for me; Christmas is coming. But liturgically the season of advent is all about Christ’s second coming or the Parousia. It is only from the 17th of December, when we begin the “O” Antiphons, an ancient part of our liturgy dating back to the fourth century that the liturgical focus is on Christmas. These antiphons address Christ with seven magnificent Messianic titles, based on the Old Testament prophecies and types of Christ.  

So what are we doing liturgically till the 17th of December you may ask? We are turning on the lights! Sounds strange right? Let me lift the darkness of confusion for you. The first Sunday of Advent resonates with the words ‘Maranatha,’ an Aramaic expression occurring in St. Paul (I Corinthians 16:22). The Christian Fathers understood the term to mean “Our Lord has come.” But more probably it means what St. John has at the close of the New Testament, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

Here in lies the problem in most people’s minds, for if we say ‘come Lord’ then it means He is not with us and if He is not with us then where is He? Did the Lord promised that He would be with us till the end of time? The reality is, that He has not ‘gone anywhere,’ it is just that WE don’t see His presence in our lives clearly ( or may be not at all)

Imagine yourself at a dinner table when the electric grid collapses and you are plunged in darkness. The first collective words heard are one is that of frustration. Darkness plunges you into an unfamiliar world and instinct kicks in, pushing you to seek for a source of light. Here in lies the challenge; you have to navigate through the darkness.

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